CATAWBA CO., N.C. -- A birthday party turned serious when four children were nearly swept away in the Catawba River Saturday afternoon.

The children, all between the ages of 5 and 7, went into the river to climb on some rocks. However, thousands of gallons of water were released from the dam, causing the river to rise rapidly.

Stacey Kraft, a mother at the party, said that’s when everyone panicked.

“(Everyone) started screaming and we ran down,” Kraft said. “The water swept them off into the water and we jumped in after them. The current was too strong.”

Kraft, along with three other adults, tried to reach the children. Soon, Kraft was swept away and ended up across the river.

On the other side of the river, another group of adults went into the water and helped rescuers pull the children to safety. Danny Roberts said everyone pitched in.

“He helped her out and I grabbed another kid off the rocks and carried him across,” Roberts said.

Firefighters said an alarm goes off when water is about to be released from the dam, but the traffic on Highway 16 can make it difficult to hear. There are also signs posted at the River Bend Park that warn people not to swim there.

Rescuers said it takes only minutes for the water to rise.