Rescuers Save 2 Boaters From River Spillway

Rescuers pulled a couple from a small boat dangling over a spillway on the surging Mississippi River.

Firefighters used a boat to rescue Tom Barbeau, 54, and his wife, Margaret Brownrigg, 42. The boat’s motor had died and a strong current swept it to the edge of a spillway, where water begins a sharp descent into a lock and dam.

The boat began taking on water after about an hour, so rescuers abandoned a plan to use a helicopter to rescue the couple, opting instead to get near them with a boat that was tethered to shore and pull them in with a life ring.

Officials had warned against recreational boating in area rivers due to the high water from heavy spring rains.