Crews race to rescue 6 kayakers stuck in log-jammed river at night, Michigan cops say

Floodlights cutting through the dark, rescue crews threaded their boats past one log jam after another, a thunderstorm on their heels as they hurried to a group of kayakers stranded in Michigan’s murky Pere Marquette River.

A call for help came in at 9:47 p.m. local time on Saturday, July 23, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. A group of 6 people, in kayaks and canoes, were trapped by a log jam, stuck along a stretch of river near Custer Township — a small community roughly 150 miles north of Grand Rapids.

First responders from several departments set out onto the Pere Marquette, according to the sheriff’s office.

The going was rough and the storm came as expected, dumping rain on an already wet and dangerous situation. But weather wasn’t the only concern — a member of the stranded group was reportedly having medical issues.

Some log jams couldn’t be avoided, forcing crews out of their boats and into waist-level water, so they could push their vessels over and through the wrecked timber.

“First responders reported being in the water more than they were on their boats,” the sheriff’s office said. “All while dealing with the thunderstorm above them.”

Eventually they came upon the group, its members “exhausted” and stuck standing in mud half-way up their bodies, the statement said.

They were not doing well: two were in the early stages of hypothermia, and another was suffering from heart complications.

There wasn’t enough room on the boats for all six people in the group, so several rescuers gave up their seats, the sheriff’s office said.

After dropping off the kayakers, crews made a second trip to the site to pick up the rescuers who volunteered their spots, and everyone was out of the river by 2 a.m., according to the statement.

Medical teams were standing by on shore to treat the kayakers. After receiving treatment, all six members of the group were released.

This story was originally published July 25, 2022 at 1:28 PM with the headline "Crews race to rescue 6 kayakers stuck in log-jammed river at night, Michigan cops say."