Two people had to be rescued from the bank of the Yukon River late last week after the homemade raft they were floating on sunk.

Canoeists, calling on a satellite phone, contacted the Dawson City RCMP at around 9:30 p.m. last Friday.

They told police they had rescued a woman north of Stewart Island.

Yukon RCMP Insp. Ken Foster said the canoeists spotted the 28-year-old woman, wet and cold on the riverbank.

Her partner, a 26-year-old man, was seen on the opposite bank, but the canoe could not reach him.

Neither person was wearing a lifejacket when their raft sunk.

After two hours of paddling, the group was able to get reception on their phone to call police.

Foster said police considered sending a boat to pick up the couple, but the impending darkness and the fact that they were wet and cold, meant a helicopter was the best option.

The aircraft was sent out at around 10 p.m.

The woman, from Quebec City, and the man, from France, were both plucked off their respective spots along the river and brought to safety.

Foster said he doesn't have any information on exactly what the couple's raft was made out of.

The pair lost most of their possessions in the water. RCMP officers in Dawson City were able to provide them with camping gear, Foster said.

Though this story has a happy ending, he encourages the public to remember the importance of wearing a lifejacket whenever they are out on the water.

A properly fitted personal floatation device will greatly increase your chances of survival if you end up in the water, he said.

"I suspect it boils down to folks figuring it will never happen to me, and if their canoe does flip, they can easily get to shore,” Foster said.

But Foster cautions even the strongest of swimmers against making assumptions about the frigid and fast-moving Yukon River.

Since the beginning of the month, multiple people have been pulled safely from the river by both police and bystanders.

On July 11, 19-year-old Nicholas Close-Silverfox from Whitehorse drowned after jumping into the river to rescue his dog near the Riverdale side of the Millennium Trail.

The territory's chief coroner is adding her voice to the call for caution.

"Everyone needs to realize just how unforgiving the water can be. Our rivers are fast and cold, and many have dangerous undercurrents,” Kirsten Macdonald said.

"Yukon lakes are cold and deep, and the weather can be very unpredictable. There is very little margin for error, and once you are in the water, your chances of survival go down dramatically.

"Since 2008, 20 people have lost their lives to drowning-related incidents. Over half of these were visitors to our territory.”

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