What started as a photo opportunity for a group of visitors to Glacier National Park in Montana ended with two people being saved by bystanders who performed CPR while a third clung to tree branches until rescuers arrived.
The incident happened around 7 p.m. Sunday when the group gathered to take a picture on the rocks above Avalanche Gorge. One of them slipped and fell into the water. Two others fell when they were trying to help. Park dispatch received multiple satellite SOS reports stating that individuals had fallen into Avalanche Creek and that CPR was being performed on two of them.
Rangers responded to find both individuals responsive. They had been swept through the gorge and rescued by bystanders, who park officials credit for heroic efforts that saved two lives.
The third person was able to grab hold of tree branches in the gorge and was hanging over the rushing water waiting for help to arrive. A ranger rappelled to the individual and secured them while the technical rescue team was assembled and retrieved both the individual and the ranger.
All three people who fell in the water were transported to a hospital in nearby Kalispell, Montana, where they were reported to be in stable condition.
At least four people have drowned in Glacier National Park in the past two years, including two others who fell in the same area.
Park officials remind visitors that drowning is the number one cause of death in Glacier National Park and to always be aware of your surroundings. Swift, cold glacial streams and rivers, slick rocks or slippery logs all present dangers. Never walk, play, or climb on slippery rocks and logs, especially around waterfalls.
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