Horse swept away in a fast-moving flood in Illinois rescued after eight hours

Crews from Morengo fire and rescue built a makeshift raft to get Troy, who was stuck in 15ft deep creek, safely to shore A horse in Illinois swept from a barn in a fast-moving flood has been reunited with his owner after firefighters joined a local veterinarian in a unique, daring deep-water rescue. Crews from the Marengo fire and rescue districts constructed a makeshift raft to move Troy, who was stranded about 600ft from the nearest shore and surrounded by a strong current of water in Coon Creek, about 60 miles north-west of Chicago. The service posted on Facebook a number of photographs of the 4 April operation, including images of the brown and white horse looking bedraggled as it stood almost shoulder deep in water awaiting rescue. “The horse had taken footing on a small peninsula, which limited direct access,” the post said. “The strong current and depth of the creek, estimated at approximately 15ft, prevented crews from simply bringing the animal straight across.” Nicky Wessel, an equine vet, was ferried by boat to administer medication to Troy, who was beginning to show signs of hypothermia from cold water exposure. Rescuers from several organizations, including the Wiscons