River rescue ends well, but Sheriff's Office is concerned

The Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office says it received a report around 7:45 p.m. Saturday of two missing kayakers who had failed to return from a trip on the Upper Iowa Rriver.  The missing kayakers were a 24-year-old male and a 14-year-old female.

Their kayaks had capsized up river from Kendallville.  The kayakers were located on the bank of the river, near where they had overturned, without their kayaks and were rescued to safety. 

The Cresco Fire Department, Decorah Fire Department, Winneshiek County Emergency Management,  WMC ambulance and Howard County ambulance all assisted at the scene.

"This was already our third river rescue of the season, and we have a lot of summer left--we are not off to a good start," said Sheriff Dan Marx, adding, "People need to be mindful of the fact the river conditions are constantly changing and can quickly become treacherous.  We encourage people to continue to enjoy the recreational resources and opportunities that Winneshiek County has to offer; however, please use our resources responsibly and with common sense.  This will greatly reduce the risk for everyone involved, including our emergency responders, many of whom are volunteers."