Rescuers were searching for a man who fell into the Grand River from a kayak near the Brenke Fish Ladder in the Old Town district on Tuesday evening.
Rescue teams were told a kayak capsized and that a man went into the water around 5:15 p.m., according to Steve Mazurek, a spokesman for the Lansing Fire Department.
Firefighters responded with three boats, a truck company and three engine companies and called in the Lansing and Ingham County dive teams, Mazurek said.
Crews searched in boats but did not find the man, he said. A kayak and a paddle were seen floating down the river.
"Given the water level and the speed the river is traveling right now, we knew this was going to be a long, intensive operation," Mazurek said. "And, obviously, the more resources we have ... the better off everybody is."
The scene was turned over to the dive teams, and divers were in the water on Tuesday evening, Mazurek said.
The river is high and muddy from heavy rains and snowmelt that pushed the river to its highest level since 1975 last week. The river was at 9.39 feet on Tuesday, down from its crest of 14.6 feet on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
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