A man was ushed to hospital with hypothermia after falling through ice into a city centre canal. Witnesses called emergency services after the 'disorientated' man had been seen walking along the Ashton Canal off Chapeltown Street, near Piccadilly.
Fire crews and paramedics raced out to the scene at around 2.15am today (December 17). Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) says the man was rescued from the partially-frozen canal and walked to safety.
He received treatment at the scene before being taken to hospital by ambulance. A spokesperson for GMFRS said: "At 2:14am this morning, December 17, two fire engines from Manchester Central and Gorton fire stations along with the Technical Response Unit from Ashton-under-Lyne and the Water Incident Unit from Eccles attended Chapeltown Street, Manchester to rescue a man from a partially frozen canal.
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"Callers to 999 reported that the person was disoriented and walking on the ice and had fallen through the ice at least once. One casualty was walked to safety by fire service personnel and was treated for symptoms of hypothermia by firefighters before North West Ambulance Service took the patient to hospital.
"Firefighters were on scene for 49 minutes." The incident follows a prolonged period of bitterly cold weather in Manchester as the cold snap continues for a second weekend.
Warnings are in place this weekend from the Met Office for snow and ice, while Manchester Airport has warned passengers ahead of potential disruption after flights were grounded due to the weather last Saturday. Greater Manchester Police has also issued reminders to the public not walk on frozen lakes and ponds in the wake of the Babbs Mill Park tragedy in Solihull, where four young boys died.
Yet the warnings are still being ignored by some, with 15 schoolchildren spotted on a frozen lake in Swinton this week, and similar reports in Rochdale and Wigan. In a reminder posted on Twitter today, a GMFRS spokesperson wrote: "Going onto frozen ponds, reservoirs, lakes and canals is dangerous and can have fatal results.
"It might be tempting to walk or play on the frozen water but the ice can easily break. The temperature of the water is cold enough to take your breath away and lead to drowning."
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