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California deputy dies during Lake Tahoe rescue attempt

LAKE TAHOE -- A Contra Costa County sheriff's deputy has drowned at South Lake Tahoe while attempting to save someone else from drowning, the sheriff's office said Thursday night, CBS San Francisco reports.

Deputy Sheriff Carlos Francies jumped into deep water at Lake Tahoe to try to save a person who was apparently drowning, but then succumbed himself, officials said.

It was not immediately known if the other person survived.

"Today we lost a dedicated deputy sheriff and member of our family," Contra Costa Sheriff David Livingston said in a statement. "Deputy Carlos Francies died doing what he was sworn to do: putting himself in harms way to protect the lives of others. He is a hero and an example of exactly what is right in law enforcement today."

The sheriff's office is sending a team to Lake Tahoe to gather more information on the incident, which is being investigated by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

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