Two men drown and one is missing feared dead after going swimming at beauty spot weir on the River Thames in Berkshire
- Two men have drowned after going swimming in the River Thames
- Incident took place near Odney Weir at Cookham near Maidenhead today
- Thames Valley Police are due to update on the situation this evening
Two men have drowned in the Thames and a third has been rushed to hospital after going swimming at a beauty spot in Berkshire.
Eyewitnesses said that two men aged in their late 30s or early 40s drowned close to Odney Weir at Cookham near Maidenhead this evening.
The third man has been taken to hospital. His condition is not yet known.
It is believed the group of men, all reportedly Asian, had been taking a dip in the water before they were swept away by a strong current.
Police, fire and rescue and air ambulance crews all rushed to the scene.
Thames Valley Police are due to provide further information.
Two men have drowned in the Thames and a third has been rushed to hospital after going swimming at a beauty spot in Berkshire
Eyewitnesses said that two men aged in their late 30s or early 40s drowned close to Odney Weir at Cookham near Maidenhead this evening
It is believed the group of men, all reportedly Asian, had been taking a dip in the water before they were swept away by a strong current
A bystander who had been at the river bank said that they had earlier seen the three men jumping off the weir and doing backflips into the water.
‘That was about 4.30pm. Later, after we had left the riverside, we heard loads of police sirens and came rushing back,’ they said.
Local residents in Cookham said there were at least 40 emergency vehicles present, including police vehicles, ambulance vehicles, and fire engines.
One man was rescued by a fisherman who jumped in and dragged him to safety, eyewitnesses claimed, while the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue service launched river boats to recover the other two bodies.
Police, fire and rescue and air ambulance crews all rushed to the scene. Thames Valley Police are due to provide further information
Local residents in Cookham said there were at least 40 emergency vehicles present, including police vehicles, ambulance vehicles, and fire engines
A witness, 16-year-old Mallory Cairns, told how he and a few of his young friends had been swimming alongside the men earlier in the day.
Mallory said: ‘One member of the public, who was a fisherman, pulled one of them out of the river and that guy survived. The other two died.
‘We are presuming they have been found because they are clearing up now. Earlier we saw the rescue service launching boats to find a body.
South Central Ambulance said it is supporting Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue, Thames Valley Police along with the air ambulance in Cookham
‘The fisherman has now gone but I think he was talking to the police.
‘The three men jumped into the Thames for fun, they were pleasure jumping. We were together down there all day. We were jumping in with them, they were just chilling, having a nice summer’s day out after lockdown.
‘They did not look like they were good swimmers but they were jumping, doing dives and backflips. They were nice guys, we spoke with them but they spoke only broken English – things like “hello”, “thank you”, “please”, “goodbye”.
‘Every year someone dies here, every single year. The undercurrent in this river is one of the strongest on the Thames and it is pretty dangerous.’