OTTAWA, March 11 (Chinese media) -- A man survived on Wednesday after plunging over the world famous Niagara Falls and floating downstream in frigid waters for 45 minutes, Canadian Police said.
Police believe this is only the third time a person has survived an unaided and intentional plunge over the massive cataract, Chief of the Niagara Parks Police Douglas Kane told Canadian Television. Fatalities are much more common, he said.
The drama began at 2:11 p.m. local time (1811 GMT) when a witness saw a man, believed to be in his mid-30s, crawl over a wall and enter the rapids of the Niagara River. He went over the world-famous Horseshoe Falls, about a 56-meter drop, and ended up in the river below.
Rescue teams involving several Niagara emergency agencies attempted to extract the man, but he swam away further into the river and grabbed onto a log.
A private helicopter used the air washing down from its main rotor to push the man closer to shore. A firefighter went into the river and extracted the man, Kane said.
The man was semi-conscious under the effects of hypothermia and a head injury.
Police noted he willingly jumped in, and refused rescue attempts. He is now being treated in a Niagara Falls, Ontario hospital, and police said an investigation was under way.
At least 17 people, not including suicide attempts, are known to have gone over the falls.
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