Kayaker missing, 4 others rescued from California’s fast-flowing Kern River

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) — Four kayakers were rescued and another remained missing after the group got into trouble on California’s fast-flowing Kern River, authorities said.

Deputies and a search-and-rescue team responded around 5:50 p.m. Wednesday, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said in a brief statement. The incident occurred near Gold Ledge Campground in neighboring Tulare County.

The Sheriff’s Office said the search for the missing kayaker was set to resume Thursday.

There was no immediate information about what happened to the group, but authorities have been urging people to stay out of California rivers swollen with runoff from an extraordinary winter snowpack.

The Kern River flows down from the southern Sierra Nevada into the Central Valley and is popular for kayaking and whitewater rafting. A 4-year-old boy and his 8-year-old sister were swept to their deaths in the Kern last month.