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From BBC news:

An Indian magician, who attempted to recreate Harry Houdini's famed trick by jumping shackled into a river, is feared dead.

Chanchal Lahiri was meant to escape and swim to safety but did not emerge from the Hooghly river in West Bengal state.

Spectators who had gathered to watch him take the plunge on Sunday informed the police, who say they are searching for him.

Mr Lahiri, also known as Mandrake, was lowered into the river from a boat.

He was shackled with six locks and a chain as spectators on two boats watched him. Several people had also gathered by the shore and some stood on the landmark Howrah Bridge in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta).

Police and a team of divers searched the area, but so far they have been unable to find the magician. One officer told the Hindustan Times newspaper that Mr Lahiri could not be declared dead until the body was found.

Harry Houdini and the history of magic
Image copyright EI SAMAY Chanchal Lahiri
Image caption Chanchal Lahiri went by the stage name Mandrake
Jayanta Shaw, a photographer with a local newspaper, witnessed Mr Lahiri attempting the trick. He told the BBC that he spoke to him before the magician started his act.

"I asked him why he risked his life for magic," Mr Shaw said. "He [Mr Lahiri] smiled and said, 'If I do it right, it's magic. If I make a mistake, it becomes tragic.'"

The magician told him that he wanted to do this trick in order "to revive interest in magic".

This is not the first time that Mr Lahiri had attempted a risky underwater trick.

He was lowered into the same river inside a glass box more than 20 years ago but had managed to escape to safety.

Mr Shaw had also witnessed Mr Lahiri's previous underwater trick.

"I never thought he would not come out of the water this time," he said. By

His body has now been found.

Barry

I just read about that, a sad tragedy indeed. Presumably he had no back up people ready to move in and release him if anything went wrong.

From the photos I saw he was lowered head first into the water, without a nose clip. Water would have gone up his nose and triggered a reaction to gulp in. I suspect he had not expected that, and was in trouble right from the start. Had he gone in feet first he would have been in control. A terrible tragedy.