Woman spends night clinging to tree after boat capsizes in Texas river, rescuers say

A woman spent hours clinging to a tree, waiting for help after the boat she was in capsized along a river, Texas authorities said.

It’s not clear how it happened, but the boat “overturned” on the Neches River, near Slocum, on the evening of Saturday, April 15, the Slocum Volunteer Fire Department said in a news release. She spent the rest of the night stranded in the dark, holding on to a tree.

When the sun finally came up, her husband made his way to a nearby highway, got the attention of a passing driver and contacted 911, the release said.

Crews headed to the scene at 7:32 a.m. on April 16, officials said. Rescuers went up river on a swiftwater rescue boat and found the woman, who is in her mid-60s, still clinging to the tree.

She was brought back to safety and taken to a hospital “for further evaluation,” the release said.

Slocum, a small community in Anderson County, is roughly 130 miles southeast of Dallas-Fort Worth.

This story was originally published April 17, 2023 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Woman spends night clinging to tree after boat capsizes in Texas river, rescuers say."