Teens rescued from deep river

Two youths are lucky to be alive after a tubing adventure went awry and required firefighters to pluck them from the Coquitlam River Monday night.

Coquitlam Fire and Rescue was called to the Sultan Place area of the river just before 11 p.m., after a man walking in the area heard two boys in their late teens call for help.

Firefighters arrived to find the boys stuck on a rock in the middle of the river. The water rescue team had to suit up in helmets and string up guide ropes in the dark, to ensure they and the boys weren't swept down river.

Members of Coquitlam Fire and Rescue's swift water rescue team carefully guide one of the two teens trapped on a rock in the middle of the Coquitlam River to safety.

Stephen Lisik/NOW

Once they hit the river bank, firefighters wrapped the boys in blankets. They were checked out by paramedics before going home.

Witnesses said the boys had been stuck on the rock for one to two hours before help arrived.