Men praised by PSNI for saving ‘floating and unresponsive’ woman from River Bann in Portadown

The men, who had just got off the last train from Belfast, were walking towards Bridge Street when one of them heard a noise.

They looked over and saw a woman floating face up in the river and immediately ran down to the quay to help.

Neither men wish to be named. One of them held the other’s legs while he leaned over towards the motionless woman and pulled her up towards the slipway.

The pair rang the emergency services and as they were attempting to help the woman, who was in her 40s, another couple they knew were walking past and also came to help.

One of the men said: “She was unresponsive, so we got her into the recovery position and eventually she was trying to cough and be sick. I don’t know if she took in much water.”

The other said: “Luckily one of the people we knew who came to help was a nurse.

“We were meant to get a taxi home that night but it fell through and we got the last train home,” said one of the men.

“There were other people walking past who never noticed. If we hadn’t heard the noise, goodness knows what might have happened. I hope she is alright,” said the other.

A spokesperson for the NI Ambulance Service said it received a 999 call at 01.17 on Sunday, 12 December 2021 following reports of an incident in the Bridge Street area, Portadown. NIAS despatched one Emergency crew to the incident. Following assessment and initial treatment at the scene, one patient was taken to Craigavon Hospital by ambulance.”

A PSNI spokesperson said: “Police, responding to a report of the concern for safety of a female, were tasked to the Bridge Street area of Portadown in the early hours of Sunday 12 December.”

Inspector Innes said: “It’s reported that a woman had slipped and fallen into the river. We’re very grateful to members of public, who were passing by and came to her assistance.

“The woman was taken to hospital by colleagues from the NI Ambulance Service.”

Plea to phone first before attending Craigavon and Daisy Hill Hospital Emergency Departments and South Tyrone Hospital