Overview

• Officials say the ban has been in place for about a week across the Düsseldorf stretch of the Rhine after a surge in drownings this summer.
• A 41-year-old was intercepted in the south of the city, briefly placed on a jetski, then jumped back into the river before being pulled out again and brought ashore.
• The man, wearing only swimming trunks, admitted the violation and now faces a possible €1,000 fine under the municipal ordinance.
• Feuerwehr Düsseldorf is assessing whether to charge the individual for the operation, which also involved local police, the water police, a police helicopter, and fire crews from Dormagen.
• The city reports several fines already issued and 130 to 250 preventative contacts by patrols, with joint OSD–police teams continuing shoreline checks.