A family of six, including a child and an elderly woman, was rescued after being stranded for nearly 24 hours on a sandbar in Alaska's Kuskokwim River. They were traveling by boat to Tuntutuliak when rough waters and extreme weather conditions left them trapped. Local attempts to reach them were thwarted, and the family communicated with Alaska State Troopers until their phone lost power. A helicopter crew faced challenging weather to locate and rescue the family, who were treated for hypothermia and transported to a hospital.
We could tell that the group hadn't anticipated being stranded for that amount of time with the clothes and gear they were wearing. We were able to get them out of there at an ideal time.
The helicopter crew launched from Bethel to fly 25 miles through dense fog, heavy rain, and wind gusts reaching 45 mph, searching for the stranded group.
Rescuers moved through nearly four feet of water to reach the family. The female senior had become so weakened by the length of exposure to the elements.
The family was close to hypothermic and treated with in-flight rewarming care, including receiving blankets before being transported to the hospital.
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