Mankato students rescued from Minnesota River after canoes overturn
A field trip turned into a rescue operation for a group of Mankato students canoeing the Minnesota River Thursday afternoon.
Eleven students and two chaperones from Kato Public Charter School were traveling in six canoes north of Le Sueur when they encountered fast-moving water with trees and other obstacles, according to a news release.
Le Sueur County Sheriff Brett Mason says a member of the group called 911 at about 12:50 p.m. to report that several canoes had tipped over in the swift waters. The caller reported that some of the canoers ended up in the water, while others had made their way to a sand bar in the middle of the river.
Rescue squads joined the sheriff’s office and launched boats in Henderson and Le Sueur, according to the release. The sheriff’s office says two females found clinging to an overturned canoe in the river were rescued, as well as those stranded on the sandbar.
All parties were treated by the Rescue Squad and ambulance personnel, according to the release. The Henderson Independent reported that a handful of the canoers were hospitalized with hypothermia concerns.