Two tourists rescued a driver whose car had fallen into the Keizersgracht canal in Amsterdam this morning. They jumped into the water, quickly freed the woman from the vehicle, and brought her to safety on the shore.
Despite the cold, both the woman and her rescuers are doing well. The Amsterdam fire department stated they have warmed up.
A fire department spokesperson told AT5, “It was an impressive act by those individuals.” The car entered the water shortly after 8:30 a.m. for unknown reasons.
Emergency services were alerted, and two ambulances, a fire department dive team, and several fire trucks were dispatched. The tourists, not waiting for the arrival of the emergency services, swam to the sinking vehicle and safely extracted the driver, bringing her to land.
The fire department received them with warm blankets. The tourists’ prompt action likely prevented the driver from experiencing any adverse effects from the incident, as hypothermia is a risk with water temperatures below 6 degrees Celsius.
The fire department has recovered the car.
Source: NOS