TOPSFIELD, MASS. (WHDH) - First responders rescued two kayakers who had to be treated for hypothermia after falling into a river in Topsfield on Sunday morning.
An officer received a report from a passing motorist that two kayakers had been separated from their boats and were in distress in the waters of the Ipswich River near Boston Street around 8:30 a.m., according to a joint press release by Fire Chief Jenifer Collins-Brown and Police Chief Evan Haglund.
Emergency crews responding to the scene found a Danvers man and a Tyngsboro man in the water who were in danger of being swept away by the strong currents caused by high waters from recent rains, Collins-Brown and Haglund added.
First responders climbed down a steep and rocky hillside to reach the victims.
They threw ropes to the victims, pulled them out of the water, and brought them back up to street level.
The victims suffered from hypothermia and one of the officers sustained a non-life-threatening ankle injury.
Two of them were taken to the hospital and the third refused to be transported.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)