Mayday search on Ohio River deemed false alarm

(AURORA, Ind.) – A search and rescue on the Ohio River has been deemed a false alarm on Tuesday afternoon. 

A Mayday Call was issued around 5 p.m. and it led to multiple agencies responding, including the U.S. Coast Guard and Dearborn County Water Rescue. 

Mayday radios are on certain boats and officials believe it was accidentally set off by a child that was playing around. 

The alert had a 130-mile stretch and first responders were not given any specific details that would be common with an actual Mayday. 

Meghan Keith is a captain with Dearborn County Water Rescue and said they searched between Laughery Creek and Addyston, Ohio before it was called off.

Despite this being a false alarm, Keith is hoping this situation can serve as a safety reminder.

“Even when this happens and a kid is likely playing around, this sends everybody out on the water even in non-optimal times or when darkness is approaching,” she explained. 

She's also acknowledging social media users who helped spread the message about the possible emergency. 

“I put a post on the Ohio River Boat Party Facebook page and they responded quickly and that is much appreciated,” she said. 

Keith added, “This is us working together and how we try to prevent tragedies. We couldn’t effectively do this job without getting assistance from the community.”

You can follow Dearborn County Water Rescue by clicking this link.