Heroic rescue of two canoeists from icy river

DRAMA: Pair were left clinging desperately to railway bridge

A hero took to the freezing River Tay to rescue a pair of canoeists who were clinging desperately to the pillars of the Tay Rail Bridge.

The unnamed person battled through ferocious wind in an inflatable boat to reach the stricken men.

The pair had run into trouble near Wormit on Saturday afternoon, with one tipped into the rough water.

Their plight sparked a full-scale rescue with the Broughty Ferry all-weather lifeboat and in-shore lifeboat, St Andrews Coastguard, a helicopter from Inverness and the ambulance service all being scrambled.

The men had already been plucked to safety before their arrival and were said to be unharmed by the ordeal.

One Wormit resident, who had watched from shore, said: “The wind was quite fierce and the waves were buffeted off the front and the side of the kayaks.

“I thought they were brave to be out there.”

I thought they were brave to be out there, as a kayaker drowned a few years back after setting out without a life jacket. The river is said to be very tidal and therefore dangerous

A hero jumped into the choppy Tay on his inflatable boat to rescue two struggling canoeists who were clinging on to bridge pillars.

The dramatic rescue took place at around 3.50pm on Saturday, when the two males ran into trouble while canoeing and one found himself in the freezing water near Wormit.

Both men climbed on to the pillars of the Tay rail bridge and were brought to safety by an unnamed member of the public, who rescued them just minutes before the arrival of the coastguard.

The Broughty Ferry all-weather lifeboat and in-shore lifeboat, St Andrews Coastguard, a helicopter from Inverness and the ambulance service arrived on the scene to ensure the welfare of the canoeists, who were said to be uninjured.

A Coastguard spokesman said: “It was approaching dusk when we got a report from a member of the public, saying there was concern for two canoes.

“The casualties went to the bottom pillar of the bridge and were seen climbing on it. We got a further report saying one of them had fallen into the water, so a helicopter was dispatched from Inverness.

“One of the local chaps from the area – a member of the public – had an inflatable boat and he got across and recovered the casualties.

“This happened just minutes before the lifeboats got on site.

“The lifeboat crews confirmed that the casualties required no further assistance.”

Wormit residents living near where the rescue took place said they were surprised to see canoeists – whom they appeared to have mistaken for kayakers – in the water at this time of year.

One householder said: “You often see them in the summer, but not at this time of the year and not when the water is so choppy.

“The wind was quite fierce and the waves were buffeted off the front and the side of the kayaks.

“I thought they were brave to be out there, as a kayaker drowned a few years back after setting out without a life jacket. The river is said to be very tidal and therefore dangerous.

“But we didn’t think any more of it. “Later on, we saw another kayaker and they seemed to be towing some kind of raft towards the middle of the river.”

Are you the person who came to the canoeists’ rescue? Or one of the casualties? If so, we’d like to hear from you. Please contact Nadia Vidinova on 01382575236 or nvidinova@ thecourier.co.uk