Three men voluntarily dived into an ice hole in Berlin. The alarm was raised when one of the men did not make it out of the pond in Treptower Park. Divers are continuing the search for him.

With specialist divers, the fire department in Berlin is searching in freezing cold conditions for the missing man. The three males had apparently entered the ice hole, presumably for bathing or diving, said a fire department spokesman on Wednesday morning. Two of them had already surfaced and reached to the shore by the time the fire department arrived. No information was initially available on the age of those involved.

The search for the missing person continued for about two hours after the rescuers were alerted. With increasing time in the icy water, the chances of resuscitating people dwindle, according to the spokesman. He now described the situation as "quite dramatic." The two companions of the missing person were slightly hypothermic and were being cared for in ambulances - including pastoral care.

According to the spokesman, a total of 52 members of the fire department were in attendance at the carp pond in Treptower Park. A boat and a drone were also to be used in the search for the missing person, helpers wore special ice rescue suits.

Initially, the fire department had tweeted that people had broken into the ice. Warnings had previously been issued against stepping on ice surfaces. For Wednesday, the German Weather Service expected highs of between -3 and -8 degrees during the day and people are urged to show caution and respect for the extreme weather conditions.

Image by Matthias Groeneveld