On Monday afternoon the Stearns County Sheriff’s office received a call from a bicyclist who had discovered two people stranded on an island in the Mississippi River. The bicyclist had been biking on the trail in the Sauk Rapids Lions Park when he heard calls for help from two stranded kayakers.

Stearns County deputies and a MN DNR Enforcement Officer responded with a rescue boat from the bank of Lions Park and were able to locate the people stranded on a small island. The officers were able to retrieve both people and their kayaks and returned to the east bank of the river.

The kayakers said that they had been kayaking in the Sauk River after starting at the west edge of Waite Park. After entering the Mississippi River one of the kayakers had trouble controlling his path and eventually lost control of the kayak. The second kayaker attempted to assist the first kayaker and they both ended up stranded on the island where they were found. The kayakers called for help until the bicyclist who called the police found them.

The Sheriff wants to remind you that both the Sauk and the Mississippi rivers are currently very fast moving waters and recommends that no one enter those waters without the proper equipment, training and experience to handle those types of conditions.