CAMP RIPLEY, Minn.  — A 59-year-old man has died after his all-terrain vehicle fell through thin ice on Lake Alexander in central Minnesota.

The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office says the accident happened just after 6 p.m. Saturday on the lake near Camp Ripley.

Authorities say a witness saw 59-year-old Gary Deppa, of Cushing, driving a four-wheeler east of Soldier Island. When he didn’t return, the person went to check and found a hole in the ice with tracks leading to it, but no tracks leading away from the hole.

Rescuers soon found Deppa face down in the water at the edge of the 20-foot-hole. Sheriff Michel Wetzel says thin ice, darkness and the distance from the shore complicated the recovery efforts.

Deppa was pronounced dead at the scene.