A pontoon boat on a fast-flowing river was swept onto a New Hampshire dam Wednesday and all three people on board had to be rescued, officials said.
Video of the rescue shows crews helping a boater off the boat and up onto a ladder just feet from the lip of Mascoma Dam in Lebanon, with white water raging just downriver.
The boat remained stuck on the dam hours later, police said, with water conditions preventing it from being removed. Rivers and streams across New England were swollen from historic rainfall — parts of nearby Vermont were dealing with catastrophic flooding.
"PLEASE STAY AWAY from the boat and DO NOT ATTEMPT to move or get close to it. It is unknown at this time when the boat will be able to be removed," Lebanon police said in a Facebook post.
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Firefighters were called to the scene about 9:47 a.m., saying the boat had a mechanical failure before it was swept onto the dam. Rescuers gave the people on board life jackets, got on the boat and attached to a rescue harness, according to the Lebanon Fire Department.
No one was hurt, though the water flow was more than 5 times greater than usual, firefighters said: "High water levels and rapid currents made this a challenging rescue. The normal flow from the dam is 600 cubic feet per second. Due to increased rainfall, the dam is currently discharging at 3,200 cubic feet per second."
They said it was more critical than ever to use caution around waterways until water levels dropped.
