River rescue paramedic praised

An ambulance crew was returning from an early morning call when it saw a crowd beside the river near Craigavon Bridge.

The crew stopped at what it thought was a road crash, but then realised that a man was in the water.

One paramedic climbed down a ladder, entered the freezing water and guided the man, who was clinging to a lifebelt, to safety up the ladder.

Police officers had thrown the lifebelt to the man, but he had been unable to get it over his head.

He was taken to the Altnagelvin Hospital and, after a change of clothes, the paramedic continued with the rest of his shift.

Liam McIvor, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, praised the actions and the modesty of the crew.

"NIAS staff often find themselves in situations where they must consider putting the needs of a patient before their own safety. This was one such instance.

"The crew involved did what they felt needed to be done," he said.

"The only information they felt necessary to pass on to their colleagues in ambulance control was that they had come across an incident, had dealt with it and needed time for a change of clothes."