The South Saskatchewan River near Saskatoon was host to a waterborne rescue on Saturday after several paddlers became stranded on a sand bar.
At around 6:30 p.m., the Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) received a call from a resident who reported that three people were paddling down the South Saskatchewan River south of the city, according to a news release.
Due to high winds and lightning, the paddlers were forced onto a sand bar where they became stranded soon after.
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An SFD rescue boat was dispatched along with two engines and a battalion chief, the news release outlined.
The rescue boat was launched from the Broadway emergency boat launch. However, enroute to the stranded paddlers, the boat became stuck on a sand bar.
The paddlers were able to send a location pin using a cell phone to the battalion chief. Once their exact location was discovered, a second rescue boat was dispatched and the stranded paddlers were rescued. They were evaluated by paramedics and did not require medical attention.
The rescue operation took over three hours according to SFD.
