More than 220 people have been rescued after two ice floes broke off from the Latvian coast and were blown into the Gulf of Riga , Latvian emergency services said Friday . All 181 people on the larger floe near the capital city of Riga were removed by boat , and 42 people were rescued by helicopter from the smaller floe off the coast of Jurmala , a nearby seaside resort town . One person remained for some time on the floe off Jurmala because he refused to be rescued by helicopter , emergency officials said . That man told authorities he was waiting for a friend to pick him up in a plastic boat , according to the Baltic News Service . Eventually , rescuers helped both the stranded man and his friend on the boat return safely to shore . The same report said that , once the rescue operation ended around 4:30 p.m. ( 10:30 a.m . ET ) , one person was treated for possible frostbite . The fire service earlier said that rough seas were complicating the rescue efforts by the Fire and Rescue Service , National Border Guard , Coast Guard and military officials . Oil company manager Kaspars Skrabans said he was down at the beach by Jurmala with his family when he noticed that a crack had appeared in the ice extending from the shore out into the gulf . He realized that nearly 50 people were on the ice that had become separated from the shore and being blown out to sea by the prevailing wind . Some people were likely there to enjoy a walk on a sunny day , he told CNN , while others were ice fishers . Temperatures were above freezing Friday in Riga , CNN forecaster Mari Ramos said . Ice is more likely to break off from shore as temperatures rise in spring .
A person who first refused help is brought safely back to Riga , a report says . Several ice floes break off from the Latvian coast and are blown into the Gulf of Riga . Cars and boats carry more than 220 people to safety , emergency officials say . A crack appeared in ice that had been close to the shore , a journalist at the scene says .