Government budges on River Rouge rescue

Public Works Canada has apparently reconsidered and is expected to proceed Thursday to raise water levels on the Red River to free a marooned tour boatthat has beenstuck on a sandbar for a week.

Kyriakos Vogiatzakis, owner of the stricken MS River Rouge, said federal officialshave agreed to try to help him free the boatby lowering some of the wooden curtains at the St. Andrews lock and raising the river level upstream to float the ship.

The ship ran aground in a shallow section of the Red River's Lister Rapids around 10:30 a.m. last Thursday. If all goes ahead as planned, the ship should dislodge and be on its way back to Winnipeg.

The 69 passengers aboard, as well as several crew members, were rescued by the Canadian Coast Guard and some helpful boaterslast week.

Efforts have failed to pull out the large boat, which is big enough to handle groups of up to 400 people.

Vogiatzakishad argued the federal government should help because it is in charge of the waterway.

2 to 3 feet more water

Early Wednesday, federal officials indicated they wouldn't be too quick to help Vogiatzakis but appeared later in the day to have reconsidered.

Anne Pratt, spokesperson for Public Works and Government Services Canada, said earlier that officials were concerned about raising river levels in Winnipeg too much, just to free a tour boat.

"We'd be raising the water level there by about two to three feet to free his vessel, and that would definitely have an impact in the water level through the city of Winnipeg," she said.

Now Vogiatzakis and municipal politicians in the area say Public Works has relented and has agreed to open the locks.

The Coast Guard was assisting Wednesday by placing buoys and markers in the area.