A New Hampshire woman was unconscious when Fryeburg police officers found her lying in bushes Saturday evening along the Saco River. She was transported by airboat to an ambulance, in which she was treated before being released.

Fryeburg Police Chief Joshua Potvin said the 45-year-old woman, whose name is not being released, told members of the Fryeburg Police Airboat team that she got separated from a group she had gone overnight camping with on the Saco River. She told officers the expedition was in the process of kayaking 7 miles from Walker’s Bridge in Fryeburg to Brownfield when her kayak capsized.

In a news release, Potvin said officers spotted her yellow kayak on a river embankment around 5:30 p.m. It took officers several attempts to wake her.

“Aside from excessive alcohol, it is unknown what caused the woman to collapse,” Potvin said in an email. “She told officers she got separated from her group after capsizing a mile back from where she was found. Wearing only a bikini and having no other supplies except alcohol on board, she was certainly unequipped for overnight camping on the Saco.”

Potvin said the woman was lucky to have been found by the airboat team.

“With darkness nearing, she is extremely fortunate to have been located when she was,” Potvin said. He said he would not release the woman’s name due to the medical nature of the incident. The woman lives in Laconia, New Hampshire.

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