Six children saved in river rescue

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33665, 15 October 1974, Page 2

Six children saved in river rescue

Six frightened, shivering children had a lucky escape after their tractor became stuck in the north branch of the Ashburton River on Sunday night.

The tractor was stuck in a hole and was slowly subsiding, when Mr D. McKay, of the Methven Search and Rescue organisation, reached the I tractor after floating downstream. He was able to ferry the children to safety unhurt. S The six children, ranging from three to 16, were crossing the river on their way to a seagull colony to look for eggs, about 4 p.m. on Sunday.. They were making the crossing about a quarter of' a mile below Isherwoods crossing, between six and seven miles from Methven. and when about half-way across, the front wheels of the tractor fell into a hole. The vehicle became stuck and the combined weight of the tractor and the flow of the water began to make it subside. A search was begun for the children about 8 p.m. It was led by Sergeant D. J. Finnie, of the Ashburton

police, and helped by members of both the Methven and Rakaia search and rescue organisations. Mr Alan Hepburn, the coordinator of the Methven search and rescue organisation, said yesterday that after the searchers had received the call for help there had .been some difficulty in getting to them. “Although a ■nearby farmer had seen the children heading into the river, it was very hard to pin-point their exact position in the darkness.” ‘Frightened’ ' I ” A tractor was driven along the river bed until they found the children. Mr Hepburn said they were “very cold, very wet and very frightened.” By then the children had been stuck in the river for about six hours. At that stage, the water was a foot above the top of the tractor, and the children were all standing on the engine. “We couldn’t even see i the air cleaner,” said Mr Hepburn. Two jet-boats, three farm

tractors, three utility vehicles and a catchment board bulldozer were all involved in the rescue.