On Wednesday, Coast Guard rescue swimmers pulled a deceased woman from her car that was stuck in the middle of the raging Niagara River just 50 yards from the edge of waterfall.
Video of the dramatic scene shows a Coast Guard helicopter hovering above the partially-submerged car as a rescue swimmer is lowered over the vehicle that had gotten stuck on some rocks.
“#BREAKING A woman is dead after a dramatic rescue along the Niagara River, right near the falls themselves Wednesday. https://bit.ly/31GtFbt,” News 10 NBC tweeted.
Niagara Action shared footage of the moment a Coast Guard rescue swimmer pulled the deceased woman from the trapped car.
“BREAKING NIAGARA FALLS ACTION: watch as a truly heroic member of the Coast Guard rescues an individual from a submerged vehicle less than 100 feet from the brink of Niagara Falls,” the account tweeted.
“We’ve never had a vehicle in the water this close to the brink,” said State Parks Police Captain Chris Rola, according to WGRZ.
Rola said multiple people reported seeing the car enter the river between the vehicle and pedestrian bridges at Goat Island, and first responders quickly realized a swift water rescue team could not attempt the rescue.
While authorities waited for the Coast Guard to arrive, state police used a drone to assess how many passengers were in the car. They also attempted to make out the license plate.
“State Police are using a drone to assess the car and who’s inside,” WGRZ reporter Jeff Preval tweeted along with video of the snow-covered scene.
Preval also shared photos of the dramatic incident that showed dozens of first responders, as well as a crowd that had gathered on the side of the river.
The captain said it was later determined that the driver was a woman in her 60s and she was from the area. No additional details were provided.
Emergency responders are working to determine how to remove the car from the raging river.
The U.S. Coast Guard – the nation’s first armed sea force – turned 231 in August.
The branch shared a string of posts to commemorate the day, the first of which said, “For the past 231 years, we have been proud to serve in the interest of all people around the world. We strive to serve you with #Honor, #Respect and #DevotiontoDuty.”
“231 years ago, Alexander Hamilton created what would become the U.S. Coast Guard. We’re pretty sure he’d raise a glass with us today if he could!” the branch added.
