November 24, 2006 New York City, NY – A rescue crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass., rescued three people stranded on an island in the Eight Mile River in Lyme, Conn., at 6:30 p.m. today.
Christina Holth, 32, and Chris Godfrey, 35, were kayaking on the tributary of the Connecticut River when their kayak capsized at 4:30 p.m. and they swam to the nearby island.
The third stranded person was a Lyme fireman who was unable to return to shore after an unsuccessul rescue attempt.
The Coast Guard was notified of the situation at 5 p.m. After contacting the Lyme Fire Department chief on scene, it was determined that rescue boats would not be able to reach the victims and a rescue helicopter was launched from Cape Cod at 5:30 p.m.
The helicopter arrived at 6:30 p.m. and brought the victims to emergency medical personnel waiting nearby on the banks of the river.
The victims, who were wearing lifejackets at the time of the accident, were in stable condition and taken to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in Lyme where they were treated for mild hypothermia.
