AFP/London
A man yesterday revealed how he plunged into freezing waters to rescue a six-month-old baby whose pushchair was blown off a harbour by a gust of wind.
George Reeder, a 63-year-old official at Watchet Harbour in Somerset, southwest England, rushed to the water’s edge when he heard screams on Sunday and saw, to his horror, the baby’s upturned buggy floating away.
He dived in and pulled the pushchair to safety with the help of local fishermen, before a passer-by gave CPR to the little boy. “I could hear screaming,” said Reeder, who has worked at the harbour for 11 years.
“I assumed somebody’s dog had gone into the water, so I went cycling over.” He added: “The mother was there and she said, ‘My baby has gone in the water,’ so I went to the edge and I could see the pushchair upside down, floating away. I just jumped in and pulled the pushchair back over to the edge of the quay.”
Reeder said it was “amazing” that the baby had survived after being in the freezing water for several minutes. “You could see his little mouth opening and taking in a breath, and that’s when I thought - it’s ok, he’s going to be ok.”
The harbour master said the baby’s grandfather had told him that the little boy was now out of intensive care. He laughed at suggestions he was a “hero”, telling ITV television: “I’m just the fella that jumped in. I am just glad I could help.”
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: “It is believed a gust of wind blew the buggy with the child in it into the water. The condition of the baby is believed to be no longer life-threatening.”