VIDEO: A 35-year-old woman is recovering after being swept away by fast moving water in the Los Angeles River, prompting a tense air rescue by first responders Sunday.
Crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to calls about the incident near Laurel Canyon Boulevard at around 5 p.m. just after a brief but intense rainstorm, department officials said.
It is unclear exactly how the woman ended up in the river, but according to officials, she was first spotted in the flood control channel near Whitsett Avenue where less than knee-deep water was moving at speeds estimated at around 15 miles per hour. Rescuers threw her a flotation device as she moved slowly downstream toward Laurel Canyon Boulevard. The woman was reportedly able to stand up at one point but was again swept away by the rushing water.