Two canoeists rescued from the River Severn near Bridgnorth
Two canoeists have been pulled from the River Severn near Hampton Loade after getting into difficulty earlier today.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Crews arrived on scene after reports of a capsized canoe near Hampton Loade.
“One canoeist had already made his way to safety when crews arrived. A second man was initially tangled in branches. He was later rescued from the water by emergency crews after a dramatic twenty minute search to locate him.
“A man in his sixties escaped the fast flowing water and was treated for hypothermia before being taken by land ambulance to Princess Royal Hospital.
“A second man was recovered from the water by a fire rescue boat. He was found to be in cardiac arrest and ambulance crews treated him with advance life support procedures before he was airlifted to the regional trauma centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
“The hospital was pre-alerted to the serious condition of the patient.”
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service mobilised the rescue boat from Shrewsbury, alongside nearby Fire Engines from Bridgnorth, Much Wenlock and an over the border appliance from Kidderminster.
The first fire engine to arrive on the scene was Bridgnorth who are trained at a Water First Responder level, they threw an inflated hose into the water and also a nearby ring which the casualty managed to catch.
Once the boat arrived and was launched onto the water the specially trained Swift Water Rescue Technicians onboard the boat and in the water rescued him safely.
