Four rafters rescued from Yakima River near Cle Elum

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Rescue workers pulled four people from the Yakima River in the Elk Meadows area near Cle Elum on Sunday evening after a tree punctured their raft.

Kittitas County Sheriff's Office swift-water rescue personnel pulled two men, one woman and a 7-year-old child from the river and took them to shore using the department's Achilles Rescue boat, according to a sheriff's office news release.

The sheriff's office said others who had been in the 13-foot raft made it to shore on their own, holding on to a part of the raft that hadn't been punctured. The news release said that group included one adult and five or six children from age 7 to 13. The release did not state the gender of the adult who floated to shore with them.

Kittitas County Undersheriff Clayton Myers, the department's designated spokesman, is not working today and was unavailable for comment. The news release did not say where the people in the raft are from, nor does not say whether any of them were injured or required medical treatment.

The release does say that there was a flood advisory in effect on that part of the Yakima River. It was "extremely high and swift," according to the release.

One of the 7-year-olds was wearing an adult life vest. The owner of the raft was cited for "multiple vessel violations."

- Pat Muir