Five dumped into Mississippi River when craft capsizes

Five people experienced anxious moments on the Mississippi River near Thebes, Ill., Tuesday night as their watercraft capsized, the Cape Girardeau fire department reported.

Shortly before 10 p.m., firefighters received a call for assistance from the Alexander County, Ill., Sheriff's Department and sent out a rescue crew with a boat, said Tom Hinkebein, battalion chief. The location of the five people was originally said to be closer to the Missouri side of the river, Hinkebein said.

Three of the boaters made it to the Illinois side of the river by the time Cape Girardeau firefighters were contacted, but two others were still in the river using a cooler as a floatation device, the firefighter said.

However, before the crew reached the site, a sheriff's deputy called and reported all five had made it to the Illinois bank of the river.