Maidstone neighbours rush to help man in late night River Medway rescue
05:00, 05 November 2021
updated: 14:54, 05 November 2021
A woman who helped rescue a man from the River Medway after he fell in late at night has described the "terrifying" scenes.
Maria Nambi rang emergency services after spotting a person clinging to one side of the Maidstone river.
The drama unfolded in darkness at Kingfisher Meadows, near Lockmeadow, just after midnight on Saturday.
Firefighters, including three engines, police, paramedics along with a water safety unit and support vehicles were called to the scene.
Maria Nambi, who was walking back to her house near Lockmeadow, said: "I was heading back from a friends house when I heard something in the water.
"It sounded quite big and at first I thought it was the seal back in town but quickly realised it was a man when he started shouting for help.
"I went into panic mode and was shouting to him before ringing 999 for help.
"I then went running to get a lifebuoy, but by the time I was back another neighbour was out helping, probably after hearing the commotion.
"Eventually police and the fire service turned up and got him out after about 40 minutes. It was so dark that it was hard to tell which side of the river he was.
"It was really terrifying, especially being on my own, but I'm glad he's okay. I didn't get to speak to him after so I'd love to get in touch with him and see if he's okay."
Eyewitnesses also saw the heroic actions of neighbours attempting to rescue the young man by pushing out a kayak for him to hold onto, before one firefighter entered the water to help him.
The fire crews then launched a small inflatable from further up the riverbank, adjacent to Clifford Way.
They used a rescue sled to pull the man to safety and he was placed in the care of paramedics, following the hour-long rescue mission.
Resident Ian Chadwick, who lives nearby and witnessed the rescue, said: "The night was dark and again it emphasises how dangerous the river is.
"It also identifies there are limited access points of entrance and exit in the event of an incident."
Emergency services left the scene after a stop-time was declared at 1.36am.
The incident has prompted safety calls about the river from concerned members of the public.
In July a man's body was recovered from the river after an extensive search by rescue teams.
Just two week's before that another man had fallen into the waters in Maidstone and required help from a nearby neighbour who jumped in to rescue him.
