4 men rescued from river canyon

Four Utah college students spent a long night on a rock shelf off the north bank of the Snake River below Lower Mesa Falls before they were rescued Wednesday morning.

Fremont County Search and Rescue said the group had capsized their canoes in the rapid waters.

One of the four men climbed out of the canyon at around midnight Tuesday and called for help.

A search team couldn’t descend dangerous canyon walls in the dark, but made voice contact with the party from a cliff above them. At around 7:30 a.m. A Cat-A-Raft rescue team located the three subjects and began floating out of the canyon towards Bear Gulch. But roads were so rutted by spring run-off, the search and rescue team was forced to continue its float downstream.

Along the way, rescuers located, towed and ferried the canoes, a boat and a kayak that were found along the river to Stone Bridge, where all were able to dock and unload.

Fremont County Search and Rescue is encouraging all recreationists to do some preplanning and always use appropriate water safety equipment.