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Authorities have transitioned from a search-and-rescue operation to a recovery operation in the search for an off-duty Los Angeles firefighter who went missing after going recreational diving off the coast of Long Beach on Wednesday.
“The search operation has been ongoing for the past 19 hours, but the survivability of the divers and reduced visibility have made it difficult to continue the search operation for an extended period of time,” the Long Beach Fire Department said in an Instagram post. said.
These factors, along with “the length of time since the diver was last seen,” ultimately led to the multi-agency decision to change the status of the operation, the fire department said.
Los Angeles Fire Department officials have not released the name of the missing diver, but confirmed Thursday afternoon that he was a member of the department.
The case will now be handed over to the Long Beach Police Department, which will lead recovery efforts. Long Beach Fire Department and Los Angeles Fire Department will also continue to operate.
“The decision to transition the operation to a recovery mission was not taken lightly,” the statement said. “Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families of the missing divers and our brothers and sisters in the Los Angeles Fire Department as we move through this transition.”
On Wednesday night, a group of four men left the Port of Long Beach to go freediving.
Freediving involves diving or swimming while holding your breath for as long as possible without the use of scuba gear or other equipment.
One of the men is believed to be the driver of a small boat that was carrying three other people, Long Beach Fire Department spokesman Brian Fisk said. Two ultimately returned from freediving, but the third never did, Fisk said.
Fisk said the men called for emergency assistance at 9:55 p.m. Wednesday, and the Long Beach Fire Department responded by dispatching divers and marine personnel at 10:17 p.m.
Multiple agencies responded to the emergency call, including the Los Angeles Fire Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Lifeguard Division, and the Los Angeles Port Police Department.
Authorities have and will continue to search for missing divers using side-scan sonar, which is specifically used to detect objects on the ocean floor, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is said that there is.
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