Woman clings to tree branch as raft sinks in raging river, Oregon rescuers say

Rescuers alerted by her sister’s 911 call found a woman clinging to a tree branch from a sinking, deflating raft in the Coquille River, Oregon officials reported.

In the 911 call at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 29, the woman said her sister had been swept downstream on the raft while they were at Albert Powers Park near Powers, the Coos County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Deputies and Myrtle Point Fire Department rescuers spotted the woman clinging to a tree branch in the swift current, the release said.

After running through a tangle of blackberry bushes to reach her, a sheriff’s sergeant discovered the woman’s raft was deflating and taking on water, officials said.

The sergeant waded into the river to get close enough to throw a rope to the woman and pull her to shore, the release said. The raft fully deflated as rescuers pulled her out.

“Although cold and shaken up, the young woman was otherwise fine and left the scene with her mother,” the release said.

Powers is a city of 710 people about 250 miles south of Portland.

This story was originally published March 30, 2023 at 12:41 PM with the headline "Woman clings to tree branch as raft sinks in raging river, Oregon rescuers say."