River Rescue Delayed

Ottawa (Ont., Canada) dispatchers mistakenly believed that two separate river incidents were the same, resulting in a four-hour delay in looking for one of the involved men, and he was found dead four days later. Officials said the two incidents were within 2-1/2 miles of each other, and a series of telephone calls led the dispatchers to believe it was the same man on a jet ski. A caller reported he was worried because his friend on a jet ski was overdue. Sixteen minutes later, a second caller reported an unattended jet ski in the river. Six minutes later, the first caller reported that his friend had safety returned. Dispatchers believed the two reports were of the same jet ski and person, so no search made for the second man. Read more about the incident here.