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At around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 6, Maryland State Police Aviation Command based out of Frederick came to the aid of four kayakers with an assist on the ground from Montgomery County swift water rescue personnel, officials say.
According to officials, first responders required the aerial rescue due to the inability to get rescue boats to the area of swift-moving water, where the kayakers were stranded after their vessel went downstream.
Pilots hovered the AgustaWestland AW-139 helicopter above the Potomac River through three separate hoists, rescuing four victims utilizing the hoist rescue basket, a state police official said.
They were then transported to Loudoun County fire personnel who were waiting on the shore of the river for evaluation. No injuries were reported.
In total, 10 people were removed from the Potomac River by crews in Montgomery County and Fairfax County after they were stranded on an island and their kayak went rogue and floated downstream.
According to a Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson, while dealing with that initial call, a second came in about a person in the water near Blockhouse Point.
All 10 were treated and evaluated by paramedics at the scene, but all refused transport to area hospitals. It is unclear what caused them to become distressed.
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