Since there had been indications that there was still a car in the water, the water police and the fire brigade had also been called to the location. In addition, divers had been requested. However, they could do little because of the strong current of the Rhine, said Scholten.

The police announced late this afternoon that a vehicle had actually been found in the water. It was recovered with a crane. "Since the car is very dirty, we assume that it could have been lying there for some time," said Scholten. The police are now investigating whether there is a connection between the car and the body. No other people in the vehicle or in the surrounding area were found by the emergency services, the police said.

According to the investigators, the body has not yet been identified. The officers did not want to say whether it was a man or a woman. The police also did not say how long the body could have been lying in the Rhine. The investigations are ongoing.

The discovery of the body and the recovery work had an effect on the ferry service between Bad Honnef and Rolandseck throughout the day. The ferry had been shut down for about one and a half hours this morning. In the course of the afternoon, when the vehicle was recovered from the Rhine, there were again temporary restrictions.

(Original text: Alexander Hertel; Translation: Mareike Graepel)