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Tubers save man in middle of the river

Slumped over in the water, just as rescuers reached him
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A man was rescued from the South Alouette River Monday.

A man in his 30s, found in the middle of the South Alouette River on Monday, is alive thanks to some tubers drifting downstream.

The Maple Ridge fire department answered a call at 127th Avenue and 227th Street, near Horseman’s Park, at about 3:45 p.m.

“Apparently, he was sitting in the river and some tubers came down and, just as they reached him, he slumped down into the middle of the river,” assistant chief Mark Smitton said.

“We have no idea why he was in the water or where he came from.”

The tubers, in their 20s, then brought the man to the south bank, stabilized him and called 911.

“They did a real good job,” Smitton added.

Firefighters brought him up the bank and called paramedics. An air ambulance was brought in, but by that time the man had improved and was taken to Ridge Meadows Hospital.

Smitton said with the recent rain, and more expected, river levels are up and trees are rolling down, creating hazards for anyone in the river.

“A week ago, you couldn’t tube down the river.”