Watch: 2 rescued from Des Moines River after inflatable raft capsizes

A Good Samaritan helped police officers rescue two people from a river in Des Moines, Iowa Tuesday after their inflatable raft capsized, trapping them near a dam. 

At 9:30 p.m., police officers responded to the Scott Street Bridge over the Des Moines River on a report of people yelling for help. When they arrived, they learned an inflatable raft had capsized and two people were trapped in the “turbulent waters of the dam, at times being pulled below the surface of the water,” the Des Moines Police Department said in a release. 

With the help of the good Samaritan, the officers quickly entered the river and pulled the victims, a 44-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman, from the river. The victims were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were treated and released. 

Police said that while the story has a happy ending, most often going over the dam will trap a person in the spinning waters and result in death. People are advised to wear life jackets and follow the posted warnings near dams and turn around or exit the water.