KLINGERSTOWN — A man died after he fell through the ice into about 8 feet of frigid water Wednesday in western Schuylkill County.
Gary Lee Kembel, 70, of 58 Main St., Klingerstown, was found in the water of the Upper Mahantongo Creek by his son, according to Schuylkill County Deputy Coroner Joseph Pothering, Minersville.
Pothering said he pronounced the man dead at the scene at 3:39 p.m. and a virtual autopsy was planned for Wednesday night at the Simon Cramer Institute, New Philadelphia.
Pothering said that Kembel, an avid outdoorsman, was walking on property he owns and apparently walked onto ice that collapsed under his weight.
“The ice was only about an inch or two thick, not enough to support his weight and he fell through,” Pothering said.
The deputy coroner said that Kembel was removed from the water by area firefighters and that state police from the Schuylkill Haven station were also on scene.
Pothering said that although temperatures have dropped into the single digits recently, the majority of the ice on area creeks, dams and other bodies of water is not yet thick enough to support the weight of a person.
“People have to realize with the mild weather we had, the ice is just not thick enough, even with the recent cold weather,” he said.
Pothering urged residents to pay attention when walking near water and not to go out onto the ice until they are sure it is safe enough to support them.