Calgary police and firefighters rescued a mother and her 10-year-old son from a capsized raft on the Bow River on Sunday.
The Calgary Police Service’s (CPS) Marine Unit came across the pair during a routine patrol of the river at around 5:45 p.m. on Sunday near the Harvie Passage.
In a Monday news release, Calgary police said the raft had overturned and become stuck under the boom.
“After several passes by the Marine Unit from upstream in an attempt to reach the stranded people, the mother yelled that she could no longer hold on,” police explained. “Officers took decisive action and lodged the CPS boat against the boom, providing a stable platform to recover the pair into the safety of the boat.”
Two other members of the family had made it to shore safely.
According to police, it’s believed the family was attempting to portage to shore when they were overpowered by the winds, which blew them back into the main current channel, causing the boat to hit the boom.
“Had the family not been wearing lifejackets, this would have had a tragic outcome,” Insp. Ryan Ayliffe said in a news release.
A Calgary Fire Department (CFD) boat helped take the mother and child to shore before returning to provide assistance by towing the CPS Marine Unit boat out of the boom.
No injuries were reported.