NATCHEZ — A 13-year-old Natchez boy suffered only minor injuries after falling approximately 50 feet into a bayou in the area of Ivy Lane Saturday afternoon.

Natchez Lt. Justin Jones said Joseph White was walking along the edge of the bayou with a friend when he lost his footing and fell in. Jones said White’s friend ran to the road and flagged down a driver, who notified police.

Natchez police officers and firefighters used a rope tied to a large tree at the top of the hill to lower a rescue basket into the bayou.

American Medical Response emergency responder Trey Taliaferro, Jones and White’s father, Jack, placed Joseph in the basket. Authorities and onlookers helped pull White up and out of the bayou.

Jones said it took authorities approximately 45 minutes to free White, and he said he was glad White’s friend acted quickly to get help.

White’s father, Jack, said his son hit his leg on a tree when he fell and dislocated his knee. Jack said White’s knee seemed to have popped back in place because he put a lot of weight on it trying to climb out of the bayou.

White was taken to Natchez Medical Regional Center, and Jack said Saturday night that other than dislocating his knee, his son was doing well. Jack said his family was awaiting final test results to see if White had torn any ligaments in his leg, and doctors planned to release White after the getting the final test results.

“He’s doing alright,” Jack said. “We’re just glad he is OK and wasn’t hurt worse.”