Two men died and a third person was in critical condition after a group of skaters fell through broken ice over a frozen lake near the town of Mariefred west of the Swedish capital Stockholm, police reported Sunday, according to DPA. A group of 16 skaters fell through the ice on Saturday afternoon on the edge of Lake Malaren, Sweden's third largest, which was being used at the time by hundreds of ice skaters and skiers. Several persons also fell into the freezing water trying to rescue the original victims. Victims suffering from hypothermia were brought by helicopter to nearby hospitals. A 31-year-old man died from exposure in Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm a few hours after the incident Saturday, while a 26-year- old man succumbed Sunday morning. Experts have said ice conditions this winter have been difficult to assess due to on-and-off spells of temperatures way below freezing mixed with warm weather and heavy snowfall.
