Colorado wildlife officials report  some 20 elks were killed when they fell through the ice and drowned at Echo Canyon Reservoir in southwestern Colorado.

"They had gone out on the ice, about 50 feet from shore. It was not stable, and they fell in," said Matt Robbins, a spokesman with Colorado Parks & Wildlife.

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Bull elk can be as heavy as 1,000 pounds. The combined weight of the herd splintered the ice about 50 feet from shore.

Colorado wildlife officials removed the carcasses from the reservoir, a popular fishing spot off of U.S. 84.

A similar incident occurred in 2008 at Paonia Reservoir, Robbins said. At least 19 elk drowned after falling through the ice at Paonia Reservoir in Delta County.

In 2011, wildlife officers and local law enforcement staff rescued three cow elk that fell into an icy private pond near Pagosa Springs. One other elk died in that incident.

"It doesn't happen all the time or very often, but it is a natural occurrence," Robbins said. "There were just too many of them for the ice to hold".

TagsHerd of Elk, elk, Pagosa Springs, colorado