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Missing hiker found dead

The body of a Hamilton man who fell into the Niagara River while on a family outing Saturday has been found. Twenty-five-year-old Mohammad Maaz Shaikh's body was spotted by a fisherman near where the river meets Lake Ontario.

Niagara Regional Police says Shaikh had been picnicking with about 30 family members. About 5 p.m. Saturday, a smaller group of family members broke off from the rest and hiked down into the Niagara River Gorge and, shortly after, left the marked trails. Police say the man climbed out onto a rock, lost his footing and slipped into the swift current, disappearing from view. 

Members of the Niagara Parks Police Service High Angle River Team and Niagara Regional Police Service Marine Unit, Niagara Falls Fire Department and Niagara Emergency Medical Services began to search the bank of the Niagara River. Joining in the search were helicopters from the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, Niagara County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. Homeland Security, Rescue Co-ordination Center Trenton and Niagara Helicopters. Vessels from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Canadian Coast Guard, Niagara Regional Police Marine Unit, the R.C.M.P. and Whirlpool Jet Boats also assisted with the search.

After several hours of conducting an exhaustive search along the lower Niagara River shoreline from the point of entry to the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, from the water, land and air, the search was terminated without finding the man.

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