Rescue workers have unsuccessfully called off the search for a man who went down in the Spree.
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As a spokesman told the Tagesspiegel, the fire brigade was alerted on Saturday at 9 p.m. As of 10 p.m., the person had not been found.
The man went down on Saturday evening while swimming in the river in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin – the search for him was stopped after about 20 minutes, said a spokesman for the fire brigade. The distance between the two banks at the accident site was about 100 meters, the spokesman said.
The fire brigade was deployed with 40 forces. A water rescue equipment truck with divers was also used for the search. The fire brigade was also supported by divers and rescue boats from the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB), the German Life Saving Society (DLRG) and the German Red Cross (DRK).
It is expressly warned against swimming alone in such waters and it is recommended to at least be accompanied by a boat. One should not put oneself in danger in places where there is no immediate water rescue, said the fire brigade spokesman.
