Drone used to locate stranded Pacific County boaters

Two boaters were rescued in Pacific County.

The Pacific County Sheriff’s Office shared that they were dispatched around 9:30p on Sunday night after a call came into the Pacific County Dispatch Center reporting that 2 people were stuck in a boat “on the Palix”.

Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. and the Washington State Patrol responded to the scene.

The effort to rescue the boaters was hindered due to the weather and lighting complicating the effort to locate the victims. Officials say that this was further complicated when their phone lost battery power and could not be tracked.

WDFW Sgt. Todd Dielman had responded with their boat to aid in the rescue, and PCSO sent the SUAS (drone) up to aid in locating the stranded boaters both by providing a spotlight in the air for Sgt. Dielman and its thermal camera to attempt to locate the boaters.

The attached photos show Sgt. Dielman towing the boaters to safety. 

“This is just another example of great teamwork by YOUR Pacific County first responders.” said PCSO.

Photos provided from the drone.