Five Rescued From Sinking Raft On Yakima River South Of Ellensburg

Five people are shaken up but safe after being rescued from a sinking raft on the Yakima River south of Ellensburg on Tuesday evening.

The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to reports of the distressed rafters at around 7:30 p.m. near the Lmuma Creek Recreation Area and arrived at the scene to find the five people clinging to the face of a rocky cliff with no life vests and unable to move due to the river's strong current.

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Deputies who accessed the location using State Route 821 were able to guide marine patrol units to the rafters' location and all five were safely pulled from the cliff face and taken back to shore.

Investigators say none of the rafters were injured but all of them were lucky to be alive after choosing the float the river without personal floatation devices.