A man who jumped into an iced-over river without considering the impact of the rapid water current underneath, died in front of his heartbroken wife.
The 38-year-old, known only as Alexander, asked her to film him as he jumped into the iced-over Chortomlyk River in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region on Sunday.
The stunt turned out to be fatal for the man, who in spite of rescue attempts is believed to have drowned moments after diving in.
In a distressing video of the incident, which took place in temperatures of around -5C, Alexander can be heard talking to his wife before his plunge.
His wife said: “Aren’t you scared, Sanya (Alexander)?”
To this, he responds that he isn’t.
Next, she asked: “Aren’t you cold?” He replied: “No.”
She asked: “Aren’t your feet cold?” He insists: “No.”
She continued: “Oh my God, I can’t stand it, it’s so cold…It's cold, Oh God, I hope you won't get sick.”
Then as he plunges in feet first, she says: “Oh God, so worrying…” followed by: “Mama…”
As she films, the man sinks and vanishes into the murky waters of the river.
In terror, she exclaims: “Oh dear, where is he? Where is he? Oh God! Where is he?”
Then she asks for help from bystanders, saying: “Oh dear God, I don't know what to do. Shall I call the rescuers?”
A voice says: “Yes!”
His friend tries to cut another hole in the ice with a chainsaw, but it is too late to save him.
According to local news reports, Alexander drowned after getting trapped under the ice.
Rescuers dived into the river but failed to find him alive. His body was found the next day at a depth of 13ft, some 70ft from the shore.
The case is similar to Russian lawyer Anna Uskova, 40, who was filmed last month as she marked Orthodox Epiphany by plunging into an ice hole in a fast-flowing river.
She too immediately vanished in front of her distressed children, a girl, 14, and boy, 10, who were heard screaming.
Her businessman husband Yury, 50, jumped into the hole but failed to find her.
Local experts in the Leningrad region criticised the use of unapproved ice holes without rescuers on standby.
