– The body certainly would not have surfaced on its own – said yesterday Marcel Korkuś, the diver who found 3.5-year-old Kacperek. The child’s body was in a very difficult-to-access place in the river, approximately 1.5–2 km from where the boy was last seen.
On Sunday at 12:10 we will discuss the details of the operation.
Marcel Korkuś on his work:
The Kwisa River is an inconspicuous river; in some places it is very shallow, while in others it is deeper. There are various snags, branches and limbs in it.
The river is more difficult to search than standing water.
The operation was large-scale from the very beginning: the police, fire service, counter-terrorism officers and a great deal of different equipment were involved. Tracking dogs were also used.
On the first day, I searched the river from the allotment gardens to the road bridge. In the following days, I used my own equipment: an underwater robot and side-scan sonar.
When these efforts produced no results, I decided that in the following days I would try diving on my own, searching the river again from the very beginning.
I am a navigation officer; diving is my passion, which I have pursued for 18 years. I am a WOPR lifeguard and a court expert in underwater searches.
I joined the search out of compassion, wanting to help find the child. I am glad I was able to help, even though the outcome of the search turned out to be tragic.
When I set myself a goal, I try persistently to achieve it.
The most difficult and exhausting days for me were those when I spent 5–6 hours a day underwater. I would return home, catch up on sleep and then return to the operation.
During each dive, I made a video recording with a camera.
One day, before going to bed, something prompted me to review the video recording. The child’s body could be seen in the recording. Based on the recording, I managed to identify the location on the riverbank.
Everyone would have preferred the outcome of the search to be different. This place was distinctive and difficult to search. If it had not been for the underwater search efforts, we really might have had to wait a long time for this case to be resolved.