MIAMI TOWNSHIP — Two people were rescued from the Great Miami River in Miami Township Sunday night.
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As reported Sunday on News Center at 11, Miami Valley Fire District and West Carrollton fire crews responded at 6:28 p.m. to a water rescue in the 5000 block of Upper River Road.
Our Malik Patterson reported that crews originally got a report of multiple people in the water and crews knew they had their hands full.
“(Sunday evening), fire crews were called to Upper River Road for an overturned kayak and two victims were stranded on an island,” said Nick Sanders, Miami Valley Fire District battalion chief.
He said a total of five kayakers were in the water.
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Our news crew spoke with kayakers off-camera. They told us the current pushed two people into a low-hanging branch and caused them to flip into the river.
“Crews were successfully able to put a boat in the water, make it to those victims, and safely get them off that island and out of the water,” said Sanders.
Medics transported one of the victims, a man, to the hospital.
Patterson reports that rescue crews got everyone else out of the water safely.
Sanders said the incident stressed the importance of wearing a personal flotation device.
He added that is what kept them above water so they could make it to the island.