Two men rescued from Kern River after falling out of inflatable pool toy

CALIENTE, Calif. — Two men were rescued from the Kern River after they fell out of an inflatable pool toy.

According to the Kern County Sheriff's Department, around 6:15 p.m. on Sunday, June 9, deputies from the Kern Valley Substation were called out to the Sandy Flat Campground for a search and rescue.

KCSO says deputies learned that two men fell out of an inflatable pool toy that resembles a raft while in the Kern River.

Kern Valley Search and Rescue responded and located one of the men clinging to a tree branch in the middle of the river. KCSO says the second man was swept away on the river and later found by Search and Rescue downstream on the shore.

KCSO says both men were checked out by EMS personnel and helped back to the campground.

KCSO wants to remind the community to wear a life jacket, not use unsafe water equipment, and remember the river flow is "very high" this year, creating a "more dangerous environment," for people on the river.

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Public Advisory On June 9, 2019 around 6:15pm, deputies from the Kern Valley Substation were called to the Sandy Flat Campground for a search and rescue. Deputies learned that two men fell out of an inflatable pool toy that resembles a raft on the Kern River. Kern Valley Search and Rescue responded, and located one of the men clinging to a tree branch in the middle of the river. The second man who was swept away on the river was found by @kern_valley_search_and_rescue downstream on the shore. Both men were checked out by EMS personnel, and helped back to the campground. Remember to wear a life jacket, don’t use unsafe water equipment, and know that the river flow is very high this year, creating a more dangerous environment for people on the river.

A post shared by Kern County Sheriff's Office (@kernsheriff) on Jun 11, 2019 at 2:18pm PDT