Woman dead after car plunges into river, floats dangerously close to brink of Niagara Falls
A woman is dead after the vehicle she was driving plunged into a river and floated dangerously close to the brink of Niagara Falls.
New York State Parks Police confirmed they were called before 12 p.m. on Wednesday after the car became stuck in the rapids less than 100 metres from the American side of the falls.
Police said they determined from eye witnesses that there was at least one occupant in the vehicle and an emergency operation was launched.
A U.S. Coast Guard diver is lowered from a hovering helicopter to pull a body from a submerged vehicle stuck in rushing rapids just yards from the brink of American Falls, one of three waterfalls that make up Niagara Falls, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. (AP Photo/ Jeffrey T. Barnes)
According to police, water levels in Niagara River were lowered by the Power Authority, while drones and a helicopter were used to get a closer look at the vehicle.
A diver was then lowered from a hovering helicopter, climbed into the car and pulled out the body out of the driver's seat, authorities said.
“It was an incredible job by the Coast Guard,” Park Police Capt. Christopher Rola said at a news conference Wednesday.
Police said a Western New York woman, aged in her late 60s and local to the area, was pronounced dead.
A U.S. Coast Guard rescue diver is lowered toward the vehicle lodged in the water at the brink of Niagara Falls, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. (Derek Gee/Buffalo News via AP)
Police said they are not able to confirm at this time why the vehicle ended up in the river.
New York State Parks Police said the Canadian Coast Guard was also called in as part of the investigation.
Roads in the area were slippery as a light snow fell when the incident occurred.
Authorities said the car remains in the river while they determine the "best course of action to remove it."
Rola said rescuers have never before been called for a vehicle that ended up so close to the edge of Niagra Falls.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
WATCH LIVE Police set to provide update on arrests in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist
More details are expected this morning on arrests that have been made in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport one year ago, Peel Regional Police say.
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Canada is expected to win 22 medals at the Paris Olympics
Canada is expected to win a total of 22 medals, including six gold, at the Paris Summer Olympics, which open on July 26.
500 Newfoundlanders wound up on the same cruise and it turned into a rocking kitchen party
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
Liberals must now sell a budget they say will help younger Canadians catch up
It's now up to the federal Liberal government to sell a spending plan it says will help younger Canadians catch up to their elders.
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.
Ontario woman out $30K after investing in mortgage company accused of being unlicensed
An Ontario nurse is fighting to recover tens of thousands of dollars in savings she invested in a mortgage company that has since been accused of operating without a licence.
Young New Brunswick songwriter makes appearance on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show'
Eight-year-old songwriter Zuri Hamilton from Miramichi, N.B., got to show off her talent on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' on Monday.