Berlin – Rescue divers Thursday rescued a drowning victim from Weißer See in the northeastern borough of Weissensee but he died a short time later.
“Our diving specialists were able to rescue a male from Weissensee. Resuscitation was begun immediately but was ultimately unsuccessful,” the fire department tweeted at 9.24pm.
The 25-year-old had swum to a platform in the lake but then suddenly called for help, according to police. A witness tried to help the man but the victim sank below the water’s surface before he could be rescued.
The drowning came a day after a 17-year-old was confirmed drowned in the Rhine and a 13- as well as 14-year-old were also presumed dead after swimming in the river near Duisburg in western Germany.
Fire brigade divers found the 25-year-old on the bottom of the lake and brought him ashore, where resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful. Detectives have taken over the investigation.
Weißer See itself was at the centre of a winter time controversy when a police helicopter hovered over the lake in hopes of scaring people off the ice then covering the lake – critics said the action was too heavy-handed.