Two teens were plucked from the river by rescue crews Monday after they were swept downstream by swift currents on the Barren Fork River.
The youths, both described as teen girls, had entered the river at the boat dock behind Rocket Park off Beersheba Street. They were reportedly just planning to float around in the normally placid water as they had floatation rings with them. However, once they were in the swift water their floating rings were swept away. They then found themselves in a swirl of water, fed by heavy rains that had swollen the river.
The teens were separated as they fought the current with one grabbing an outcropping on the side near where they entered, while the other ended up grabbing ahold of the bottom of a rock cliff on the opposite side of the river.
Firemen and members of the ambulance service arrived and were able to pull the girl, who remained on the Rocket Park side of the river, to safety. The other girl, who was holding on beneath a cliff on the other side, had to be accessed by crossing over to the other side of the river.
Firemen rigged a security rope across the river and rescue diver Joe Clark dove into the water and swam across to the stranded teen. He then secured her and pulled her back across to river using the security rope.
The rescue was executed just before dark Monday evening after the emergency was reported just after 7 p.m.