Buffalo Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other agencies are conducting a search for a member of the Buffalo Police Underwater Recovery Team.
According to investigators, the diver was participating in a routine training exercise when he vanished around 12:50 in the afternoon. “We are now conducting a rescue search on the Niagara River, in conjunction with multiple other agencies at this time”. Buffalo Police confirm a police diver is missing. “We have an extensive search underway looking for a diver”, Lt. Jeff Rinaldo said in a brief update to assembled reporters. “Unfortunately, sometimes training can be very unsafe”, Rinaldo said.
Shortly before 1 p.m. Friday, authorities in the U.S. were notified an officer conducting a training exercise with the recovery unit for the police force was missing, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Police are concentrating on an area between the foot of Ferry and foot of Ontario streets.
Coast Guard officials said, in a statement, they had discovered the diver’s tender cable had broken off. The diver’s secondary dive tanks were recovered on the water’s surface, the release said.
A crew from Coast Guard Air Station Detroit are responding aboard an MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter.
