Rescuers Struggle To Drag Man From Icy Waters

Desperate attempts by rescuers to reach a man clinging to a chunk of ice in an Iowa river are caught on camera.

Iowa River Rescue

By Sky News US Team

A man has been pulled from the icy waters of the Des Moines River in Iowa after a dramatic rescue by emergency services

Some reports said the man had jumped into the river and that rescuers initially encouraged him to swim ashore but he ignored them.

Rescuers believe the man was in the waters for about 15 minutes

He was clinging to a chunk of ice as one rescuer who tried to reach him fell into a hole on the thin ice.
The man initially resisted, but eventually he managed to hold on to a boat that was pulled ashore by a rope.
“When hypothermia sets in, I don't think your brain really works right,” firefighter Corey Comito told local station Kcci.
The man, whose identity has not been released, was recovering in hospital.
Rescuers believe he might have been in the waters for around 15 minutes. The temperatures in the area had been as low as minus 11C (11F)