Story last updated at 8/18/2009 - 10:44 am
JUNEAU -Emergency personnel transported eight rafters to Bartlett Regional Hospital on Monday night after their raft flipped on the Mendenhall River.
The raft, operated by a local tour company, held eight tourists and a guide. Residents who live along the banks of the river helped some of them reach shore, and firefighters used a throw rope to retrieve the remainder from the water, Capital City Fire and Rescue Chief Eric Mohrmann said.
All nine people were treated for hypothermia.
The river on Monday was running high due to heavy rains, and the National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for minor flooding on the Mendenhall River and Montana Creek, which flows into the river.
The Mendenhall River was expected to continue rising until about 10 p.m. Monday, the weather service said.
A flood advisory means river and stream levels are elevated.
The Mendenhall River offers a six-mile, beginner to intermediate commercial rafting trip. It has about one mile of rapids.
No one at the tour company, Alaska Travel Adventures, could answer questions about the incident before the Empire's deadline.
Staff at the emergency room said six of the eight transported had been released by 8 p.m.
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