May 30 (UPI) — Authorities said Monday night that two females are missing after a group of 12 people on the James River in Richmond, Va., went over a dam.
Richmond Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeffrey Segal told reporters in a press conference that the group paddling the James River went over the 12-foot dam at about 3:13 p.m.
Minutes after the report came into dispatch, rescue boats were in the water and eight victims were rescued with the help of civilian kayakers, Segal said, adding one other person was “self rescued.”
Two females are still missing but rescue efforts have been called off for the night and will resume 7 a.m. Tuesday, he said.
“After a thorough search today, this evening, we ceased operations … because of nightfall,” he said, adding that the status of the mission has not changed from a rescue operation to a recovery.
“As of right now, we’re very hopeful.”
Segal said he was unsure of the females’ ages nor did he know if the 12 people who went over the dam knew each other.
Only one of the victims was injured and that person who self-rescued was transported by private vehicle to a local hospital while the other eight went to a reunification center that was set up for families, he said.
