After 45 minutes of lifesaving measures, drowning victim dead in Ceres

A man drowned in the irrigation canal along Moore Road at East Whitmore Avenue on Wednesday morning.

Witnesses called in the report of seeing him go into the canal shortly after 8 a.m.

Police, fire and AMR personnel were dispatched to the scene, said Ceres Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Serpa. Police were first to arrive and found the man in the water, pulled him out and began CPR.

Fire personnel assumed CPR and with the AMR ambulance crew continued lifesaving measures for 45 minutes, Serpa said.

The victim was estimated to have been in the canal two minutes. Following lifesaving measures, paramedics contacted on-duty physicians at a hospital, Serpa said, and the man was declared dead at the scene.

No information was immediately available as to what caused the man to enter the canal. The man is Caucasian, Serpa said, but his name and age had not been determined.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Detective Bryan Ferreira at 209-538-5616.

This story was originally published September 13, 2017 at 9:48 AM with the headline "After 45 minutes of lifesaving measures, drowning victim dead in Ceres."