The two canoeists, whose names were not immediately known but were from the area, put in around 12:30 Saturday afternoon and were last known to be safe around 7 p.m. when they contacted their family members, according to Weldon Fire Chief Rusty Bolt.
Soon after, however, the waters of the river began to rise and their canoe overturned, damaging their cell phones.
Rescue personnel were called shortly before 9 p.m. Gaston firefighters and the Roanoke Valley Rescue Squad responded.
A Roanoke Valley boat put in at the Weldon boat landing and shortly after saw a light flashing off Rightmyer Island. They were brought back to the boat landing around 9:30 p.m.
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