Three stranded after overturning kayaks, rafts in Nooksack River

Firefighters retrieved a group of people whose kayaks and inflatable raft overturned on the Nooksack River near Highway 9’s U.S.A. Bridge on Monday afternoon, May 30.

Two women were floating down the river in kayaks and a man on an inflatable raft when they overturned near the junction of the river’s north and south forks, said Chief Mel Blankers with Whatcom County Fire District 1. The women and man were in their early 20s, Blankers said.

The department was dispatched at 2:40 p.m.

When firefighters arrived, all of the group’s members had gotten out of the water but were stranded on a bank opposite the road, Blankers said. Firefighters used the department’s boat to shuttle the group back to land near the bridge.

Firefighters also were able to retrieve some of the group’s possessions, including both kayaks, Blankers said.

No one was injured.

Both kayakers were wearing life jackets, Blankers said. The man on the raft had a life jacket but was not wearing it, he added.

This story was originally published May 31, 2016 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Three stranded after overturning kayaks, rafts in Nooksack River."