Algona, IA (KICD) — Authorities use a drone to assist in locating trapped boaters.

On Wednesday evening, the Kossuth County Sheriffs Office used a drone to assist in locating two boaters, Thomas Fitzpatrick and his 10-yr old grandaughter, who got stuck in a log jam, Fitzpatrick suffering chest pains and shortage of breath.

A release from Kossuth County Emergency Management said the incident started around 5:30 Wednesday afternoon, when the two boaters were dropped off at the Plum Creek Dam, and were supposed to meet up with family at the Veteran’s Park boat ramp, a couple hours later. When the pair had not shown up almost three hours later, a 9-1-1 call was made.

As the search continued, eventually a deputy used a cell phone to make contact with them. The boaters didn’t know their location, so the search efforts continued. That’s when another deputy was then called in to use a TGI Phantom 4 drone to assist in the search. Once the drone was activated the stranded boaters were found just 3 1/2 minutes later.

Then, during recovery efforts, which took almost an hour to get the patient back to a waiting ambulance, that took him to the Algona Hospital, where he was then life flighted out from. The young girl that was in the boat was taken to the Algona Hospital, and was treated and released.