By Jo McMullen / KVSC reporter

Two more kayakers had to be rescued on the Sauk River this past weekend as the river is swollen with a fast current due to the recent heavy rainfall.

The Stearns County Sherriff’s Office received a call on Sunday just after 4 p.m. from a woman who said she and her husband had flipped their kayaks near County Road 121 in Waite Park. They were stranded in the middle of the river in a grove of trees and could not get to shore safely.

Rescue units from St. Joseph and Waite Park assisted in helping Stacey and Christopher McDonald, both 49-years-old, of St. Cloud get out of the dangerous situation. The Sauk Rapids Fire Department deployed an airboat that successfully maneuvered the river and rescued the pair and there kayaks. They were treated on the scene by Mayo Ambulance and drove themselves to the St. Cloud Hospital.

There have been a number of rescues on the Sauk and Mississippi Rivers in the last week and Stearns County Sheriff Steve Soyka has stated the current levels are so strong that only expert kayakers should be on the water until the flooding subsides.