NANTICOKE RIVER, Md. – The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has released details on a water rescue that took place Saturday evening.
On Jan. 31, Natural Resources Police (NRP) and Wildlife and Heritage Service staff helped rescue six waterfowl hunters stranded on a disabled vessel on the Nanticoke River. First responders were first dispatched around 6:30 p.m. However, local fire rescue crews were unable to reach the stranded boaters due to unnavigable waters caused by substantial ice thickness and frozen boat ramps. Weather data shows that temperatures were in the high teens to low 20s at the time of the stranding, with strong northerly winds gusting over 20 miles per hour at times.
NRP’s helicopter had just completed an escort of another vessel in the ice-covered waters of the Tangier Sound when it was called to assist with the incident in the Nanticoke River. The helicopter was manned by Sargent John Buchanan and Officer Christian Helwig…