A diver from the Zurich Cantonal Police in Switzerland has died during a search for a person seen in distress and who is believed to have drowned in the Limmat River.
According to a statement released by the police, the tragedy occurred after a member of the public reported a person in the water in front of the Dietikon power plant at around 1.15 pm on Sunday afternoon.
EKZ Kraftwerk Dietikon is a hydroelectric power station situated on an island between the banks of the Limmat River and a canal on its western side. A dam and weir are situated on the river at the island’s southern end.
Paramedics and personnel from the police and fire services were dispatched to the scene after the person reportedly ‘called for help and subsequently drowned,’ according to the statement.
Subsequent reports received by the emergency services indicated that the person had been spotted further downstream.
Emergency personnel stationed themselves over bridges, and helicopters from the police and Swiss Air Rescue Service, Rega, were deployed to search for the missing person, while firefighters and maritime police conducted searches along the Limmat by boat.
Rescue services decided to dive the part of the canal in front of the weir to search for the person who had drowned, during which a 44-year-old police diver was ‘fatally injured’.
The cause of the fatal accident is not yet known and is the subject of an ongoing investigation.
The death has struck the police department with some force; according to the statement, the last time a cantonal police officer died in action was in 1979.
‘As a corps, we are deeply saddened and mourn with the family and friends of our deceased comrade,’ said Commander Marius Weyermann of the Zurich Cantonal Police, who notified the diver’s family.
‘Such a death in action reminds us that our work is not without risk. Those who dedicate themselves to their fellow human beings and their safety deserve the highest recognition.’
Searches are ongoing for the missing person who, as of Sunday evening, had not been found.
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