UK consul general jumps into a Chinese river to save drowning woman

Stephen Ellison was walking in a village when the woman slipped on a rock

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A British consul general in China was praised for diving into a river to save a drowning woman.
Stephen Ellison, Chongqing consul general, threw off his shoes and jumped into the swollen waters of the river.
People could be heard screaming and a crowd watched as Mr Ellison swam out to the woman, a student, who was face down in the water.
Another rescuer threw a life buoy into the water and pulled the pair from the river.

Mr Ellison, 61, a triathlete, was walking in Zhongshan village, near Chongqing, when the woman, who has not been named, slipped on rocks at the side of the river.

"She was unconscious, she was not breathing and for a short time we feared the worst. But as we got back to the side, she started breathing again," Mr Ellison said.

The hashtag "British consul general in Chongqing saves female student who fell in the water" had gained almost 40 million acknowledgements on Weibo by late Monday as news of Mr Ellison's bravery spread.

"For a man of such advanced age to save another person from the water in such cold weather, regardless of his own safety, he is a hero and gentleman," said one commenter.

"Due to the timely rescue, the woman quickly recovered her breathing and consciousness," read a post on the consulate's official Weibo page.

"We are all immensely proud of our Chongqing consul general," the UK diplomatic mission in China tweeted on Monday.