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BEIJING: A British diplomat hailed as a hero for rescuing a drowning student in southwest China over the weekend said he felt a deep sense of relief when he saw the woman had resumed breathing and would be fine.
Stephen Ellison, Britain’s consul general in Chongqing, had been to a nearby scenic spot on Saturday (Nov. 14) when suddenly “there was a huge commotion” after a student accidentally fell into the river, he told Reuters during a video call. on Wednesday. .
Ellison, 61, who took office in Chongqing in October, has been widely praised on Chinese social media, where dramatic videos of the rescue have become a hot topic.
“It became pretty clear pretty quickly that she was in trouble. She couldn’t swim and was submerged when she came up and was floating on the surface of the water,” she said.
British diplomat Stephen Ellison’s consul general jumped into a river in Chongqing to rescue a woman who had fallen (Screenshots: Twitter / ukinchina).
Seeing that “he was going to lose his life”, the former civil engineer said that a lifeguard training 50 years ago in Malta “fit”.
“I took off my shoes and jumped,” he said.
“I got to her pretty quickly and turned her over. But she wasn’t breathing and she was unconscious, so I really feared the worst for a few moments,” Ellison added.
The people on the riverbank threw Ellison a life preserver and dragged the two to safety.
LEE: China praises the British diplomat for saving a woman who was drowning
But for about half a minute, as they approached shore, the woman was still not breathing.
“When he started breathing again it was a very, very deep sense of relief,” Ellison said.
After being sure that the woman would recover, Ellison was taken in by the villagers “and they took very good care of him,” he said.
They washed and dried his clothes and gave him coffee before he met the woman he saved.
“She came over and we met, which was very sweet,” he said. “She was clearly a little surprised, but she was in good shape.”
The woman, who is 24 and has not been publicly identified, invited Ellison to a meal to express her thanks, who said she would be “delighted” to join.
“It’s a great story, and if people enjoy it a bit, then great,” said Ellison, who would not say if his actions could improve the tense relations between China and Britain.
“I don’t think it matters if you are a diplomat, civil engineer, student or whatever, that when things like this happen, then there is a human reaction that is quite encouraging, isn’t it? That we feel we can help, and so should. be, “he said.
