Person rescued from Merrimack River in Amesbury

A nearby boater helped rescue a person who nearly drowned in the Merrimack River on Monday afternoon, the Amesbury fire department said.

The person, whose identity was not released, was given CPR and taken by ambulance to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport and then transferred by medical helicopter to a regional trauma center, the department said in a statement.

Amesbury firefighters responded to a report of a person struggling in the Merrimack River near Old Merrill Street about 1 p.m., the statement said.

The boater pulled the person in the water onto the boat and brought them to shore, where firefighters performed life-saving efforts, the statement said.

“Everyone involved moved really fast and the patient was already out of the water when we arrived, so that was a huge help, and our firefighters went to work right away,” Amesbury Deputy Fire Chief James Nolan said in the statement. “Things worked well.”

Amesbury police and the harbormaster also responded to the scene.