Drone used to help find man stranded on Richland island in the dark

Emergency crews were needed Thursday night to rescue a man stranded on a small island in the Columbia River in Richland.

Benton County deputies received reports about 9 p.m. of two people in distress — one on Nelson Island and the other near Leslie Groves Park, according to a Benton County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.

Nelson Island is near the shore of Leslie Groves Park. It’s mostly open land with a fringe of vegetation popular with gulls and other birds. There is no direct connection between the shore and the island.

The man near the park was yelling that his friend was stuck on the island, the sheriff’s office said.

His behavior triggered concerns about his health, so he was evaluated at Kadlec Regional Medical Center, Benton County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Clark said.

Then, deputies launched a drone and confirmed if a man was on the island in the dark.

Once they could talk with him, he told the emergency crews that he had waded out to the island, but was afraid to make his way back to shore because of the water level, the sheriff’s office said.

Columbia Basin Dive Rescue volunteers were called in to help get the man back to shore. He was also taken to Kadlec to be checked for injuries. His condition was not available Friday.

It’s not clear how long he was on the island.