(Spencer)– A close call last (Thurs.) night for four canoeists on the Little Sioux River in Clay county.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office says it received a report around 10:30 p.m. of a male sitting on a bridge on County Road M-50. Upon arriving, deputies learned that four individuals had been canoeing when their boat capsized…sending all four into the water without life preservers. One was able to swim to shore while the other three were taken down river by the current.
Dickens Fire and Rescue responded to the scene and an immediate search and rescue operation got underway. With the use of a river boat, the three subjects were located about a mile east of where the canoe capsized. Authorities say the three managed to hold onto an oar as a floatation device until they were able to reach ground and wait for rescue.
All three were transported to a secure location where they were treated by paramedics and released.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Spencer Police Department, Dickens Fire and Rescue, Spencer Fire and Rescue and paramedics.
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In another incident, two men were trapped below the Linn Grove dam when their boat capsized on the Little Sioux River last (Thursday) evening.
The Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office says emergency crews were dispatched about 6:20 p.m. A small, flat-bottomed boat had capsized and was caught in the turbulent water below the dam. The two people in the boat had been fishing. They attempted to fish close to the backflow of the water and were unable to start the boat motor. The boat was pulled into water going over the dam, causing it to fill and capsize.
One man…26-year-old Phillip Elgersma of Orange City…was able to swim safely to shore. The other…19-year-old John Foreman of Orange City…was still trapped in the boat. Sioux Rapids fire fighters and deputies worked from the north side of the dam, and threw rescue ropes. After several attempts, he caught a rope and was pulled to the north shore to safety.
Ambulance services from Buena Vista Regional Medical Center in Storm Lake arrived and attended to Foreman… who was taken by ambulance to B-V-R-M-C for full treatment.
The sheriff’s department says both men were wearing life jackets, which helped them stay afloat.
The sheriff’s department says the river is extremely high with the recent rains, making it extremely dangerous to be on the river.
(Above story courtesty of sister station KAYL in Storm Lake).
