Hundreds of Americans wash up illegally in Canada after river party

illegal American wash up onshore in Canada, hundreds americans illegally
Hundreds of Americans Wash Up Illegally in Canada after River Party – www.plnmedia.com

About 1,500 Americans floating down a river that separates the US from Canada had to be rescued from the water after rain and winds sent them illegally into Canadian territory, the country’s coastguard has said.

The Americans were taking part in the annual Port Huron Float Down on Sunday in the Saint Clair River, which runs between the US state of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario.

ADVERTISEMENT

The winds blew the flotilla of inflatable rafts and inner tubes off course and toward the Canadian shore. Some rafts deflated, spurring a rescue effort by the Canadian Coastguard as well as federal and provincial police, coastguard spokeswoman Carol Launderville said.

Most “floaters” had to be rescued from the water, with many towed to shore, according to the coast guard.

“They were terrified of entering another country without documentation. No one carries their passport or any ID, and a lot were drinking alcohol,” Peter Garapick, superintendent of search and rescue for the coast guard, told CBC television.

ADVERTISEMENT

Some tried to swim back to the United States.

“We had to pull a lot of people out of the water and say no,” Garapick said.

The Americans were gathered at Sarnia, Ontario, and bussed back to the United States by the city’s public transit.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sarnia police did not say whether anyone was charged in the incident and there were only minor injuries reported.

Launderville said the event has no official organiser and poses “significant and unusual hazards” due to the river’s fast-moving current and participants’ lack of life jackets.

A Facebook page for the event, which dates back more than 30 years in the city of Port Huron, west of the border from Sarnia, made a post Sunday night thanking Canadian authorities.

“You’ve shown us true kindness and what it means to be amazing neighbours!” the post read.