911 Calls Released For Kayakers Stuck In The South Fork River Wednesday

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Gaston County Communications has released the 911 calls made for two kayakers Wednesday after they became stuck on the South Fork River in Belmont.

The two men were rescued from the river. It took rescuers about 90 minutes to pull one of the men from the river after he became trapped in debris.

Neither one was seriously injured.

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Photos courtesy Charlotte Fire Dept.

BELMONT, NC — Two kayakers are safe after rescue crews pulled them from the South Fork River in Gaston County Wednesday. The men were swept away in the rapid currents while kayaking earlier this afternoon.

While one man was quickly pulled from the river, crews from Gaston County and Charlotte Fire worked for over an hour to rescue the other man trapped in debris near the Armstrong Ford Road bridge.

Crews initially used a ladder truck to extend a rescue worker out to the trapped man, but he remained just out of reach. Ropes and harnesses thrown to the man helped keep him above water as a swift water rescue crew from Charlotte Fire Department worked to place a boat upstream.

The man was eventually pulled from the river and taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

Gaston County Commissioner, Ronnie Worley took to Twitter to thank crews involved in today’s rescue.