Several people were rescued from the Lehigh River early Tuesday morning in East Penn Township.

Township fire Chief Brenden McArdle said the incident occurred at around 12:45 a.m. for a report of four people that were stranded in the Lehigh River in the area of the Bowmanstown Sewer Plant.

McArdle said there were eight people in their party, all from the Lehigh Valley area, who had entered the water from the Jim Thorpe area of the train station at 10 p.m. Monday.

“During the process of them rafting, they got into some rapids and the inflatable rafts they were on, two of them had ruptured and that put them in the water,” McArdle said. “Lehighton (Fire Department) utilized two of their rescue boats and had to rescue four of those people, and Bowmanstown (Fire Department) was able to get the other four individuals that had made it to the shore and bring them back to Marvin Gardens.”

McArdle added that two of the people were transported to a hospital for nonlife threatening injuries due to the cold exposure to the water.

“This was more of just poor judgment, entering the water at night,” he said. “Luckily, one of them had their cellphone.”

McArdle said crews cleared the scene at around 3:30 a.m.

He said the Lehighton Fire Department, Bowmanstown Fire Department, Lehighton Ambulance and Palmerton Ambulance also assisted at the scene.