A 22-year-old was carried away by the current while swimming on the banks of the Rhine. The search has so far been unsuccessful. Swimming accidents also ended fatally in Münster and in the district of Kleve.
A 22-year-old man from Wuppertal is said to have walked into the Rhine with two other men (23 and 24 years old) at Himmelgeister Beach in Düsseldorf late Saturday afternoon , according to a spokesman for the fire brigade. At this point the Rhine seems quite flat and calm – it is quite popular with the people.
Two men rescued in Düsseldorf
The three men are said to have initially stood in the water when they were caught by a suction and then swept away by the current. Witnesses told police that the men were screaming for help.
One of them was able to hold on to a larger rock and get out of the river under its own power. Another was rescued by a witness using a rubber dinghy. For the third young man, help came too late: he was swept away by the current.
Large-scale operation for rescue workers – search so far unsuccessful
The fire brigade worked with boats, divers and current rescuers until late in the evening to find the 22-year-old. She was assisted by a police helicopter. However, the search had to be abandoned without success. Now it’s time to wait and see whether the young man from Wuppertal still turns up, according to a fire department spokesman from Düsseldorf. According to a police spokeswoman, there is no evidence that the men were drunk.
Man drowns in the Dortmund-Ems Canal
There was also a fatal swimming accident in Münster this weekend. A 32-year-old man drowned there on Sunday in the Dortmund-Ems Canal. The man swam from the east to the west bank in the afternoon and suddenly went under in the middle, the police said.
His 21-year-old companion tried in vain to save him. Rescue divers from the fire department finally rescued the man. Despite resuscitation measures, he died on the spot. The police took over the investigation.
Two dead after bathing accidents in the Kleve district
Two swimming accidents in Kleve ended fatally on Saturday. As the police announced on Sunday, an 86-year-old died while swimming in a quarry pond in Issum. Emergency services recovered his body after a search operation. Witnesses had previously alerted the police to a parked bicycle and clothing items that apparently belonged to the man.
Also in the Kleve district, a 73-year-old died after a swimming accident in the Eyller See natural swimming pool in Kerken. Other swimmers discovered the woman floating lifeless in the water and brought her to shore. Rescue workers initiated resuscitation measures. The 73-year-old was taken to the hospital, where she died a little later, police said.
A week earlier, the emergency services in Lüdinghausen had stopped looking for a man who had not reappeared after swimming in the Dortmund-Ems Canal.
Source : Tagesschau
