On Friday afternoon, rescuers managed to retrieve the female driver of the car that had entered the river from the Daugava.
After more than five hours of search efforts, rescuers discovered the car that had sunk the previous evening, inside which was the deceased. She was pulled from the water and brought to shore.
Considering that it was already dark and the car was located at a depth of about nine meters, it was decided not to attempt to raise it from the Daugava today, the State Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) reported.
The car entered the Daugava on Thursday evening, and rescuers resumed the search on Friday. According to the SFRS, the search conditions in this area are "extremely challenging," and a serious complicating factor is the strong current, which can carry the submerged object far from the point of immersion. The rescuers themselves felt this: while diving, they were swept away by the current several meters from the point of entry.
The river's depth in this area reaches ten meters, which means complete darkness underwater — the light from flashlights allows visibility of only about 30 centimeters. This means that divers have to feel their way along the bottom, moving literally inch by inch. In a situation where the exact location of the car is unknown, such searches can last for hours or even days, the rescuers explained.
Gita Grjibovska, a representative of the State Police press service, reported that the identity of the woman has been established, and the circumstances of the incident will be investigated in the initiated criminal process. To search for the car, the police have involved an underwater drone.
As reported by bb.lv, a call was received on Thursday evening that a passenger car had entered the Daugava in Riga. Moving from the Cable Bridge along the November 11th embankment, the car made a sharp maneuver and entered the Daugava from the pier for pleasure boats.
Upon arrival at the scene, rescuers saw that the car was sinking quickly and disappearing underwater. The riverbed was surveyed using sonar to determine the possible location of the car. During underwater searches, divers checked one of the suspected areas, but the car was not found. Due to the strong current and darkness, the search was suspended on Thursday evening.
