One person has died after an SUV plunged into a canal in Mesa, Arizona, prompting an extensive rescue operation on Friday, September 25.
Emergency crews were called to the area near Signal Butte Road and Broadway Road shortly after 10am, where they found the white vehicle completely submerged in the canal.
The water was estimated to be between 18ft and 20ft deep. Mesa Fire and Medical crews deployed a raft and a technical rescue team while officers and firefighters searched for any possible survivors.
“We made every initial effort to identify any viable victims,” said Mesa Fire Department Captain Richard Harless. “Any chance for an air pocket or something like that for victims that were underwater.”
A heavy wrecker was brought in to lift the SUV from the water after it had remained submerged for more than an hour. The vehicle was eventually recovered shortly before 12.45pm.
Crews then confirmed that one person had been inside and was dead. The victim was identified as 26-year-old Brittany Kroldart.
The response involved Mesa Fire, Mesa Police and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Roads around the scene were closed as emergency workers operated alongside the canal, while a broken section of fencing could be seen hanging over the water.
Residents described seeing police cars, ambulances and a helicopter in the area as the rescue effort unfolded.
Officials have not released details about what caused the SUV to leave the road and enter the canal. The Mesa Police Department is leading the investigation.
