A ?smiling? man has survived a 50-metre plunge over the fast-flowing Niagara Falls. The man, who has not been identified, is believed to be the first person to survive a drop over the falls without any life jacket or flotation device. Eyewitnesses told local media that the man appeared to climb over a wrought iron barrier on Monday afternoon to reach the falls. ?He walked over to where we were standing and he jumped and slid down on his backside and went over the brink,? the Globe and Mail newspaper quoted eyewitness Lynda Satelmajer.

The man disappeared under the water for about four minutes, before reemerging 100 metres downstream. He declined the offer of help from a tour boat and swam to shore, the Globe and Mail said. Witnesses were amazed to see he had not died. ?We figured that?s what it would be, it would be a body, because we figured it was no way anybody could survive,? Terry McMullen, who was vacationing with his wife, told CNN television.

The man, who could face a fine of C$10,000 (4,400 pounds) for breaking regulations, was handcuffed and taken to hospital with minor injuries. The Horseshoe Falls straddle the Canadian-United States border between Ontario and New York State and attract 10 million tourists a year.

Jonathan Ratner