Some very tense moments on the Marais Des Cygnes river last night as four people that were fishing fell into the water. According to Ottawa Fire Chief Tim Mathias, about 9:00 last night, the Ottawa Fire Department, LOH Fire, Ottawa Police Department and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and EMS were dispatched to the Flint Hills Trail Bridge, over the river, on a report of four people in the water, two adults and two children. The children were able to get out of the river before units arrived, however, the two adults were carried away downstream. The Ottawa Fire Department deployed a rescue boat on the river and emergency personnel walking the edges of the river looked for the adult victims. Those units on the ground were able to locate them about a half mile downstream. They were in the middle of the river standing on top of their overturned canoe. Ottawa Fire made contact with them, via the rescue boat, and transported them to EMS crews on the shore. The victims were suffering from hyperthermia and were transported to Advent Health Ottawa for treatment. The names of the victims were not released.
