BATON ROUGE - Two teenage girls rescued from the banks of the Amite River Tuesday night are recovering, sources said.

The girls, who have not been identified, were taken to an area hospital after they were found on a river bank. They went missing after a hiking trip. The girls did not respond to phone calls after their trip started around 3 p.m. and a search party was organized three hours later. Around 8:30, they were found and eventually brought from the woods to dry land by boat.

One of the girls had an ankle injury, rescuers said Wednesday. The other was okay after being found.

"They were obviously scared and wet, a little cold," Central Fire Captain Trip Haynes said in an interview with WBRZ reporter Chris Nakamoto. "They just wanted off that muddy bank they were sitting on."
Haynes reflected on the rescue effort Wednesday, a few hours after it unfolded. He said it was a team effort.

"It's something we train for all the time. It's a fairly rewarding career we have here. We're just doing our jobs. We want to keep our people safe and give the best service to our community."

The girls vanished in the BREC Frenchtown Conservation Area. The park is about 500 acres along the East Baton Rouge/Livingston Parish line. It is is very underdeveloped, and is made primarily for hiking. The site lacks restrooms, significant lighting and isn't in range of good cell phone coverage.

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