Men lose kayaks on river and become stranded on separate islands, Oregon sheriff says

Two men were rescued after losing their kayaks on an Oregon river, a sheriff said.

The two men became “stranded on small, separate islands in the middle of the stream” on the Umatilla River on Sunday, April 30, the Umatilla County Sheriff's Office said in a May 1 Facebook post.

“Both were wearing life jackets but had been stranded for more than two hours,” the sheriff’s office said.

The Sheriff's Department said, and Umatilla County firefighters quickly rescued one of the kayakers, a 33-year-old Hermiston man, “using a rope and a swivel.” recovery”.

Rescuing the other kayaker, a 32-year-old Hermiston man, proved more difficult due to “the thick impassable vegetation along the east bank and the width of the river on the west bank », According to the deputies.

The sheriff's office said rescuers were able to find and reach the man “by crawling through a deer trailer that led to a bank near him.”

Meanwhile, additional rescuers arrived upriver to assist in the rescue, deputies said.

After being rescued, the “kayakers were medically examined” before being released, the sheriff’s office said.

The Umatilla River lies just below the Washington border, about 180 miles northeast of Portland.

Woman clings to logs after kayak overturns in river rapids, Arizona firefighters say

Fisherman dives into lake to save kayaker and never resurfaces, Washington police say

Boise River search involving police, firefighters finds inflatable kayak, but no kayakers