Niagara fall survivor to be charged

After his plunge, Jones pulled himself on rocks and waited to be rescued

Canadian police say a man who plunged head first over Niagara Falls and survived will be charged with performing an illegal stunt.

The man, 40-year-old Kirk Jones, a United States citizen, could be fined $10,000 for the incident, which police believe was intentional, but not a suicide attempt.

Bystanders watched in astonishment as Mr Jones floated by in the Niagara River and plunged 180 feet (54 metres) down the Canadian side of the falls - known as the Horseshoe Falls before pulling himself onto the rocks below.

Mr Jones is the first person known to have gone over the famous North American waterfall without any protective device and lived.

He was not seriously hurt by the fall and after being admitted into hospital for a check-up and psychological tests has been remanded into custody.

Condemnation

Brian Merrett, the chairman of Niagara Parks Commission, condemned the stunt calling it "stupid".

Jones could now face a $10,000 fine

"Our people went down in the gorge and got him. That's why we don't condone this. It puts all of our people - the fire department, the paramedics, everyone - at risk to do the rescues," he added.

"That's why were are so adamant about stunting."

Tourists described seeing Mr Jones jump into the water and disappear over the edge of the falls without making a sound.

Eyewitness Brenda McMullen told a local television station: "He just looked calm. He was gliding by so fast. I was in shock really that I saw a person go by."

Brenda's husband Terry took photographs of Mr Jones moments later, after he emerged from the water at the base of the falls and pulled himself onto the bank.

History of failure

About a dozen people have gone over the Falls since 1901, usually inside a barrel or some other kind of protective device.

About half of them have survived.

In 1960, a seven-year-old boy wearing a lifebelt survived a trip over the Horseshoe Falls after being thrown into the water in a boating accident.

The falls straddle the border between the United States and Canada, with the US side - known as the American Falls - considered the rockier and more dangerous of the two.

No-one has ever survived a plunge over the rockier American Falls.