Ukrainian divers search Kyiv’s Dnipro river after amusement ride tragedy

KYIV (Reuters) -Divers searched the Dnipro River in Kyiv for a man in his 20s after a steel cable broke on Sunday on a three-year-old amusement ride that carries people hundreds of meters from a high bank to an island in the river, Ukrainian officials said.

“The city is appealing to, and will demand that, law enforcement bodies thoroughly investigate both the emergency itself and the activities of the company operating the attraction,” Kyiv city authorities said.

Authorities initially said a girl had fallen into the river but later said witnesses had told police that a man no older than 30 was on the ride at the time. Local Telegram channels showed people helping to drag the broken cable out of the river.

The Kyiv prosecutor’s office said it had launched criminal proceedings into safety violations and negligence resulting in a death.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv and Elaine Monaghan in Washington; editing by Giles Elgood)