Watch rescuers rush to help people stranded on raft pinned to rock in Colorado rapids

A group was rafting when its raft partially flipped over and got pinned to a rock, Colorado officials said.

When the raft overturned Saturday, two people became stranded on the raft in the middle of rushing rapids, the Poudre Fire Authority said in a news release.

Three people stopped to help the two individuals who were stranded on the raft, but they couldn’t do much. Officials had to set up a rope system to reach them.

Rescuers found the two rafters in stable condition. They did not give another update on their conditions.

“Two … swiftwater technicians swam across the river to help set up a rope system,” officials said. “The ropes are used to navigate (the fire authority’s) boat and responders to and from the patients, as well as make sure there is a reliable system to get everyone and everything back to shore.”

The rafters were pulled safely to the fire authority’s boat. Then officials retrieved the raft that was stuck in the Poudre River using the same rope system.

“They connected it to the system, dislodged it from the rock and rapid, and pulled it to shore as well,” officials said. “(The fire authority) has a team of swiftwater technicians that are highly trained for incidents like this one.”

The Poudre River is a popular destination for white water rafting, according to AVA Colorado Rafting. The river is designated as “wild and scenic,” and it has different experiences for first-time and more experienced rafters.

This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 1:36 PM with the headline "Watch rescuers rush to help people stranded on raft pinned to rock in Colorado rapids."