Border Patrol warns boaters take precautions on the river

The Border Patrol is reminding recreational boaters to use caution on the Colorado River in the wake of a river rescue Friday evening.

The Yuma Sector Border Patrol's Marine Unit rescued four adults and two children who had been riding in a boat that became trapped on a rock weir or dam on the river just north of County 8th Street.

The weir, made of granite boulders, connects the Arizona side of the river with Andrade, Calif. Patrol spokeswoman Karla Davalos said its original purpose years ago was to serve as a bridge for workers hauling rock from a quarry near Andrade to build a river levee on the Arizona side.

The boaters became trapped when the river current pushed their boat into the weir and pinned it against the rocks, Davalos said.

The patrol sent its Marine Unit, composed of Border Patrol agents, to the weir after being notified by the Yuma County Sheriff's Office that the boaters were in trouble about 6 p.m. Friday.

Agents transferred the children from the trapped boat to their own boat and ferried them to shore, the patrol said. Agents then towed the boat with the adults aboard to shore.

No one was reported injured in the incident. The boaters' vessel was undamaged and they were able to resume boating, the patrol said.

"Residents are reminded to exercise extreme caution when conducting recreational activities in and navigating through the Colorado River," the patrol said in a news release.