John Donnelly, the chief of Washington D.C.'s Fire and EMS, said at an overnight press conference that the first alert came in at 8:48 p.m. and responders arrived 10 minutes later.
He said there are 300 responders working on-scene and described it as a "highly complex operation." He said the conditions are "extremely rough" and said the cold and windy conditions are making it difficult.
Donnelly said the water is about eight feet deep and icy. Temperatures hovered around 36 degrees Fahrenheit overnight, according to NOAA's National Ocean Service.
"So it's just dangerous and hard to work in. And because there's not a lot of lights, you're out there searching every square inch of space to see if you can find anybody. Divers are doing the same thing in the water. The water is dark. It is murky. And that is a very tough condition for them to dive in."
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