Potomac River kayakers found safe after 30-hour disappearance

Two kayakers were found safe late Thursday, Sept. 24, after being missing on the Potomac River for approximately 30 hours. The pair was discovered by a Charles County volunteer fireboat crew waving from a duck blind on Craney Island, located near Potomac Heights.

The Tenth District Volunteer Fire Department’s Fireboat 8 responded to a request for assistance from Fairfax County around 8:30 p.m. A five-person crew searched the river south to the power lines before moving north along the Maryland shoreline. Upon spotting the individuals, the crew brought them aboard to check for injuries; neither person required immediate medical treatment.

The kayakers were subsequently transferred to Fairfax County Fireboat 420, which transported them back to the Virginia shoreline where their excursion had originated. The Tenth District crew returned to their station around 1 a.m. Friday.