Mom and son fight rapids for 4 hours after they get stranded in Rio Grande, feds say
A mother and her son were plucked from raging rapids after spending hours stranded in the Rio Grande, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said.
Agents responded Wednesday, June 14, after a report of two people in distress downriver of the Anzalduas Dam near the U.S.-Mexico border in south Texas, according to a news release.
The mother and son were seen struggling against the current, prompting a water rescue, agents said.
Boat patrol units were deployed but struggled to reach the stranded swimmers “due to the rocks and swift water,” the release said. Using a rescue raft, agents navigated the rapids to reach the duo and bring them to safety.
The mother, who wasn’t named, told agents she and her child had been stuck in the river for more than four hours.
“Crossing the river can be treacherous, especially in swift water areas,” sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez said in a statement. “Agents immediately jumped into action to prevent any further injury or loss of life.”
The mother and son were taken to a border patrol facility, though their conditions weren’t known as of June 15.
McClatchy News reached out to Customs and Border Protection and was awaiting a response.
Mission is about 250 miles south of San Antonio.