Boy 17 rescued on sandbar in the Columbia River
A 17-year-boy who was stranded on a sandbar in the Columbia River at Woodland was rescued late Sunday night by a Clark County Fire & Rescue boat team.Battalion Chief Tim Dawdy said this is what happened:Two adults and five teens were boating on the Columbia when a rope became tangled in the propeller of the boat’s engine. The engine died and the boaters could not get it started.The Vancouver group, who had no marine radio or cellphones, floated a half-mile downstream from the Lewis River and were able to ground the boat on an island.Two teenage boys decided to swim for help but the current was severe and the water cold.“Can you imagine sending two teenagers across the Columbia with no life jackets to get help?” Dawdy said. One boy made it back to the island but the other, Antonio Danda, 17, was swept down the river. He was able to stand up on a sandbar near Dike Road.However, Danda was waist-deep in the river for three hours before help could arrive, Dawdy said. Around dusk the boaters were then able to flag down help, who called 911. Clark County Fire & Rescue was dispatched about 9 p.m.