A diver with the Chicago Fire Department has died and two other divers were injured following a rescue on the Chicago River Monday evening, officials said.
Juan Bucio, 46, was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital at 10:02 p.m. after he was rushed there following a rescue attempt for a person in the water in the river in the 2600 block of South Ashland Avenue.
Two other divers were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition, according to the Fire Department. They have been released.
The fire department received a call around 7:50 p.m. after boaters saw a person jump into the water, according to José A. Santiago, the Fire Commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department.
During the search, Bucio became separated from his partner, Santiago said, and the team sent out a Mayday call.
“His partner turned around and he was missing,” he said. “It was that quick.”
Chicago Police Department marine unit divers pulled Bucio out of the water. The Chicago Police Department is still searching the water for the person that went into the water.
It’s not clear what time divers entered the water or how long they were in before the mayday. Fire department officials said the incident was still under investigaiton.
The rescue was near Canalport Riverwalk Park in an industrial area near the Bridgeport neighborhood on the South Side.
Crews could be seen pulling a person from a boat on a gurney as an ambulance waited on the shore nearby around 8:50 p.m.
About a dozen police and fire vehicles were stationed at Stroger Hospital late Monday, and officials blocked off Ogden Avenue in front of the hospital for at least an hour.
A group of firefighters stood outside the emergency room while Chicago police officers lined the entrance to the hospital parking lot.
Firefighters and police officers gathered outside the Cook County medical examiner’s office late Monday and early Tuesday morning.
Two firetrucks parked facing each other on Leavitt Avenue and stretched their ladders up and over Harrison Street early Tuesday morning.
Firefighters from each rig used locking rings to secure and hang a flag over Harrison Street, as is customary for line of duty deaths.
Firetrucks and engines lined Harrison Street on the way
Check back for updates.
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