Breaking News: Rescue of a Lost Kayaker Happening Now [Rescued]

UPDATE 3/8: KMUD interviewed a firefighter who recounted the rescue in detail.

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Original Post below:

KMUD News and scanner traffic tells the story of a kayaker who went missing on the Mattole River. The kayak was found drifting by a fellow kayaker, the rider, however, was gone, so the alarm was sent out. Honeydew and Petrolia Firefighters, Calfire and the Southern Humboldt Technical Rescue were all called out out to search.
At this point, according to KMUD, the lost kayaker was “located on a rock upstream of the Hadley AA Bridge.”

The recent rains have brought river levels up and enticed kayakers out to run the newly full waterways.

Scanner traffic indicates that a rope rescue is being planned right now. We’ll be updating as information comes in.

Kayaker running another Humboldt waterway after a rainstorm in March of 2011.

UPDATE 9:02 p.m.:  Calstar helicopter is on its way to the site.

UPDATE 9:22 p.m.: The patient is out of the water and ready to transport. The person is being evaluated for hypothermia and to determine whether the Calstar helicopter is needed. (Thanks to all the emergency crews working on the rescue!)