Police in New York City have released footage showing officers trying to rescue a family, including a two-year-old, who was killed in floodwaters caused by Storm Ida.
Officers waded through black, chest-deep waters on Wednesday as they tried to get into a basement flat in the borough of Queens, where the family became trapped.
The video from one officer’s body camera shows another officer first reaching into the opaque water and then diving under the surface of personal belongings that included a teddy bear.
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The human cost of Storm Ida
He is then quickly pulled back up by the other officer and appears to be frustrated.
The New York City Police Department said their efforts were hampered by locked doors, rising water and live electricity, which forced them to call the fire department for help.
“Without special equipment they made valiant efforts,” the force said on Twitter.
When specialised units arrived, they found three people who had drowned and pronounced them dead.
Those who died were later identified as 50-year-old Ang Gelu Lama, 48-year-old Mingma Sherpa and their son, two-year-old Lobsang Lama.
Police said an unconfirmed report of people in a flooded flat initially brought them to the home in the Woodside area.
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Vehicles submerged in Ida flooding
“Upon arrival, police observed the water levels from the rain were approximately two feet above street level through the first floor of the location with the basement completely submerged,” an NYPD spokesperson told Fox News in a statement.
Last week’s flooding killed at least 11 people in New York City who were unable to escape rising water in basement flats.
At least 64 people across the US died after the country’s northeastern states were battered by record-breaking rainfall brought by Storm Ida.
