VIDEO: Emergency crews have rescued a 12-year-old boy in downtown Columbia after being missing in the stormwater system for over four hours. The Columbia Fire Department, law enforcement, and the Columbia Sewer Department had been working to locate and extract the boy since the initial call to dispatchers shortly after 5 p.m., until finally extracting him around 9:45 p.m.
Columbia Fire Department spokesperson Skyler Clark confirmed to KOMU 8 News that the large emergency presence near the Parkway Apartments near East Broadway and Garth Avenue is due to the search and rescue.
East Broadway was closed off for about a quarter-mile stretch near the scene around 6:20 p.m. The road was reopened by 7 p.m., before being closed off again around 8:30 p.m., according to a KOMU 8 reporter at the scene. Assistant Columbia Fire Chief Lester Shewmake confirmed the age of the boy. Officials said the boy is responsive with his family and was sent to the hospital for further evaluation.
