A teenage girl was rescued from a river at Burrs Park, Bury, after jumping in yesterday – prompting warnings over the dangers of open water for schoolchildren during the summer holidays.
The girl, 14, is thought to have been injured after jumping in the open water river at the park in Brandlesholme in the early evening, yesterday on Sunday 7.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) received a call at around 6.12pm with reports that a girl had suspected spinal injuries after jumping in the weir.
Firefighters along with the specialist Water Incident Crew (WIU) were able to rescue the girl using specialist equipment – before she was rushed to hospital.
Station Manager Ian Tracey, who was in charge of the incident, said: “When we got to the park we were confronted with a 14-year-old girl in the weir five-metres down from the side of the river – who was thought to have injured herself jumping into the river.
“They placed the teenager on a stretcher from the WIU and carried her to safety before she was taken to hospital.”
This incident is the third open water rescue carried out by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service this weekend alone.
It has prompted further concern by rescue services to promote the Safe4Summer campaign being lead across 10 boroughs in the lead up to the summer holidays.
Safe4Summer is a joint campaign with the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and Greater Manchester Police aimed at keeping people of all ages safe from risky summer activities such as the dangers of open water.
Chair of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority, Councillor David Acton, said: “In the warmer months water can be enticing but it is often cooler than you expect – which can affect physical capabilities.
“Open water can also be deep and there’s just no way of knowing what lies beneath the surface – like in this incident where the young girl has injured herself jumping into the river, and then needed rescuing by the emergency services.”
For more information visit http://www.safe4summer.com/
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