Pair Rescued as Boat Teeters Near Edge of Niagara Falls

Only a section of engine kept the boat from drifting
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 19, 2016 8:17 AM CDT
Pair Rescued as Boat Teeters Near Edge of Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, with the Canadian side visible in upper right.   (AP Photo/David Duprey, File)

A man and woman got closer to Niagara Falls than they probably ever wanted on Sunday. The US Coast Guard was called in to rescue the pair from Buffalo after their boat became disabled and drifted "very close" to the Canadian side of the falls, reports the Niagara Gazette. An anchor was used to keep the vessel in place as officials lowered the Niagara River water level to ground the boat. Within minutes, however, the anchor failed, leaving only a section of engine holding the boat in place.

Air crews with Erie County Air One made multiple attempts to reach the boaters—ages 45 and 42—but had difficulty with high winds, so a Coast Guard helicopter was called in. Before it arrived, however, a New York State Park Police boat was able to reach the vessel and the boaters were safely removed. The entire rescue took about two and a half hours, reports CBS News. (Want to feel closer to the falls? Try this new zip line.)

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