Two men have drowned in the Niagara River - one who tried to retrieve a piece of driftwood, the other other who jumped in to save him from the lethal current.

Mario Guthrie, 29, climbed into the notoriously dangerous water at Broderick Park in Buffalo with the intention of collecting a large piece of wood.

When he began to struggle, 46-year-old Scott Vader dove in to help him.

Vader, however, was ultimately drowned along with the man he tried rescue when he failed keep both himself and Guthrie - who was desperately holding onto him - afloat. 

Mario Guthrie (right), 29, climbed into the notoriously dangerous water at Broderick Park in Buffalo with the intention of collecting a large piece of wood. But when he began to struggle, 46-year-old Scott Vader (left) dove in to help him

The tragic event was witnessed by bystanders, who hung out a stick in an attempt to help the duo but could not reach them.

Captain Jeff Rinaldo, from Buffalo Police Department, said even experienced swimmers should not jump in the water, recalling the death less than a year ago of police diver Craig Lehner.

Lehner drowned in the same place during a training exercise.

He said: 'There's different currents that flow especially when you get into eddy currents that will pull you towards the wall and then suck you out into the river as well as pull you down, it's not safe under any type of circumstance.'

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One witness, Cristina Williams, told News 4 that Vader was initially preparing to jump into the water to collect the wood to make furniture with when Guthrie offered to go instead.

She added: 'He jumped in and it was clear he wasn't a strong swimmer.'

Williams said Guthrie had a piece of rope tied to his wrist, with Vader holding the other end, but detached it because it was not long enough for him to reach the wood. 

Captain Jeff Rinaldo, from Buffalo Police Department, said even experienced swimmers should not jump in the water at Broderick Park (pictured), recalling the death less than a year ago of police diver Craig Lehner

Guthrie soon started to struggle, Williams said, before Vader dove in. 

She explained: 'It was only a couple of seconds before they both just sunk like rocks. 

'There was nothing we could've done, I mean my mom was screaming at me not to jump in, I almost went in, I mean they would've sunk me like a stone.' 

The Buffalo Police Department Underwater Rescue and Recovery Team arrived at the scene within minutes but it was too late. 

They searched for over an hour before finding the bodies. 

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