BENTON COUNTY, Wash. – On Thursday night, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of two people in distress near Nelson Island on the Columbia River.

One person was heard yelling from Nelson Island, while the other was on shore stating that their friend was trapped on the island.

Deputies deployed a drone to verify the situation and confirmed that the person was indeed still on the island. The man explained that he had waded across earlier but was unable to return due to rising water levels.

The Dive Rescue team and the Richland Fire Department successfully rescued the man, bringing him safely to shore. He was then taken to a nearby medical facility for evaluation.

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