Larabee, Iowa — A teenage kayaker is safe after becoming separated from his group on the Little Sioux River near Larabee on Saturday night.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office reports that the missing 16-year-old boy had been kayaking with three other kayakers, and had paddled ahead of the group, when the group lost sight of him. They say the rest of the kayakers got out of the river as planned at Martin’s Access near Larabee, but could not locate the missing teen.
Officers, deputies and emergency personnel from nine agencies began checking along the Little Sioux. A kayak was located by air and the kayaker was soon located by a firefighter and a deputy. They say the missing kayaker was rescued from the water just as darkness set in.
The Larabee Fire Department, Cherokee Fire Department, Cherokee Police Department, Aurelia Police Department, O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office, Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team, the Iowa Dapartment of Natural Resources, and the Iowa State Patrol assisted the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office in finding the missing teen.
After the incident, the Sheriff’s Office advised people to use all safety gear including life preservers when out on the water. They also reminded people to use extreme caution when paddling on the Little Sioux River as the water is high and moving swiftly now.
