HAW RIVER, N.C. — Crews in Chatham County rescued two kayakers who were stuck in the Haw River on Sunday evening.
The incident was first reported around 6:30 p.m. Sunday in the Haw River near US 64 at the Haw River Bridge.
As of 9:30 p.m., crews were trying to rescue the pair and a helicopter was overhead — but the rescue attempts were stopped around 9:45 as lightning moved into the area.
Around 10:10 p.m., the storms cleared the area and the rescue attempts resumed.
One person was plucked from the water around 10:25 p.m. and the helicopter safely put that person on the U.S. 64 bridge. Then, just before 11 p.m., the second person was pulled from the Haw River and placed on the bridge.
The incident happened when a man and woman went kayaking and got stuck in trees — with the woman falling out of the watercraft and ending up stuck on rocks, officials said.
The other boater, a man, was stuck on a small island. The victims were not injured, but are cold and could have suffered from hypothermia, according to officials.
The rescue helicopter landed on the U.S. 64 bridge while rescue crews were waiting for the lightning to pass.
The woman who is involved in the incident was considered a priority rescue because of a medical condition, according to reports.
There were also rescue swimmers in the water to help during the rescue.
Highway 64 was closed for the helicopter landing area, reports said.
