Rescuers search for passenger on rented boat that fell into Miami River

Rescue divers are searching for a man who fell from a boat in the Miami River near the area of North River Drive and Northwest 3rd Avenue on Saturday afternoon.

Around 2:30 pm the Miami Fire Department received an emergency call alerting of a man who had fallen into the water.

The information indicated that the man, in his 30s, was part of a group that rented a boat around 11:00 am. The 48-foot-long boat was already on its way back, and while waiting for the 5th Street Bridge to raise, the passenger fell overboard.

"The boat was waiting in line with other boats until the 5th Street Bridge was raised so it could continue. The captain of the boat heard one of his passengers fall, held the boat in position, called the remaining passengers and tried to look for him, he also called the Coast Guard," he toldTelemundo Ignatius Carroll, spokesman for MFR.

Forces from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Miami and Miami-Dade County firefighters, and Coast Guard assets are participating in the search.

Specialized divers searched the Brickell-Downtown Miami area near Interstate 95, and between the Flagler SW 1st Street Bridge and the NW 5th Street Bridge.

But the search was unsuccessful and the rescue operation has given way to a recovery operation, since with the passage of time hopes of finding the man alive were lost.

"This is now a recovery mission," Carroll updated.

The river was closed until approximately 6:30 pm.

Authorities have not revealed to the media the name of the victim or who made the emergency call.