Two local fishermen pulled three men this morning out of the Mississippi River near the Dresbach Lock and Dam, saving their lives, said Winona County Sheriff Dave Brand.

The sheriff's department was called at about 9:25 a.m. that a boat had hit a wave and flipped on the river near the dam. One of the men dumped into the river was holding another up to keep him from drowning, Brand said.

The three men called for help, and two fishermen in a nearby boat heard them. The fishermen pulled them out of the water.

"I'm just glad we had another boat nearby," Brand said.

Brand did not yet know the boaters' names, but said one they were 82-, 79- and 48-years old. Two of them are from Wisconsin and one is from Iowa, he said.

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