2 rescued from Great Miami River

UPDATE @ 9:51 p.m.: The two men brought to safety in the Great Miami River rescue are generally in good health and were fortunate they were able to hold onto a tree, use their cell phones to get help and then wait out their ordeal, Miami County sheriff's Deputy Warren Edmondson said.

A rescue boat with two members of a water rescue team was eventually put on the water to effect the rescue just before 9:30 p.m. Edmondson said rescue teams spent a lot of time trying to find a good way to deploy throw-bags to the two men — believed to be father and son-in-law — so they could be pulled to safety.

The swift current, created by recent heavy rains, was the reason for the hesitation in using the rescue boat, the deputy said. Sheriff’s deputies as well as fire/rescue crews from Troy, Piqua, Bradford and water rescue teams from Troy and Covington participated in the operation.

“The man who was in the tree, I don’t know if his boat was somewhere downstream of whether both men were in the one boat,” Edmondson said. He said the man left in the kayak actually got himself out of trouble.

“I don’t believe it was wise at all,” Edmondson said of their decision to go kayaking. “I believe they are definitely second-guessing their decision to go in the water. The water is pretty quick…it’s dangerous.

“After a heavy rain, we had flash flooding…not a very good idea to go kayaking,” the deputy said.

UPDATE @ 9:23 p.m.:

The Great Miami River rescue has been completed with the one person who was left clinging to a tree now safely in a boat.

The other person, who was still in a kayak, apparently had stayed on the water so as not to abandon the person left clinging to the tree.

Artificial lights were brought to the scene because the rescue operation was losing daylight. That necessitated the partial shutdown of I-75 South in the area of the rescue scene, North County Road 25A.

Rescuers were throwing roping to the person in the tree because the river current made putting boats in the water hazardous, we’re told.

Personnel from Troy fire, Covington fire/rescue, Bradford fire/rescue and Miami County sheriff’s deputies all participated in the rescue operation.

UPDATE @ 8:35 p.m.: Fire/rescue personnel from several are jurisdictions are continuing to rescue two people trapped in the Great Miami River.

FIRST REPORT

A water rescue is happening right now for two people in the Great Miami River.

One is said to be in water up the knees, clinging to a tree. The other person is still in a kayak.

There are several fire/rescue units on scene or on the way. They were initially dispatched to the 4100 block of North County Road 25 A about 6:45 p.m.

We have a crew on scene and we will update this report as we get information.