Five Children Pulled From Car in Icy Minnesota Pond

Car Carrying 5 Kids Plunges into Icy Minnesota Pond

Five young children were pulled from an icy pond in Minnesota this morning after the car in which they were travelling veered off a highway and plunged into the water below, officials said.

Rescue divers pulled the children aged 1 to 7 from the fully submerged car after it plunged into a holding pond between an exit ramp and Highway 7 near St Louis Park, Minn.

"They spent significant time in water," said State Patrol spokesman Eric Roeske. "The water is about nine feet deep. It's incredibly cold. Not freezing, but close."

The children were taken to a nearby hospital and are currently all alive, said Roeske. Their conditions, however, are not known.

Bystanders tried to help free the children before police arrived. Due to the water's depth first responders were able only to rescue the children by towing the car from the water.

A 23-year-old woman was driving the car. She was able to escape the car on her own. It is not yet known how the woman is related to the children or if she tried to help free them.

Police are still working to determine how the children were restrained in the four-door sedan and when any were in car seats or wearing seatbelts.