A bystander rescued a woman from drowning in a Schaerbeek canal on Tuesday afternoon.
The incident occurred near the Van Praet bridge in Schaerbeek at around 13:00 on Tuesday. The woman was still in the water with one person holding onto her arm and keeping her afloat when the Brussels Fire Brigade, Brussels-Capital/Ixelles Police and 112 emergency services arrived at the scene.
Divers were deployed to rescue the woman. "She was immediately attended to by the medical team on site and evacuated to hospital," said spokesperson Walter Derieuw. "Fortunately, her life is not in danger."
Derieuw thanked the "Good Samaritan who was in the right place at the right time. His intervention undoubtedly contributed to the incident's happy ending. Hats off to him!"
Traffic on the Van Praet bridge – including the tram – was briefly interrupted during the rescue operation.
It is unclear how the woman ended up in the water.
