The video shows Ellison jumping fully dressed into the river, where the woman struggled to stay afloat.
Beijing:
A senior British diplomat has become a hero in China after video of him saving a student from a swollen river racked up tens of millions of views on social media.
The British mission in Chongqing said on Monday that Consul General Stephen Ellison intervened this weekend in nearby Zhongshan to save a woman who fell in a river crossing the tourist town.
“Thanks to the timely rescue, the woman quickly regained her breathing and consciousness,” reads the official Weibo page of the consulate.
Ellison, 61, was visiting the city on Saturday when he heard a scream from a crowd of people as the woman fell into the water.
Video footage from spectators shared by the consulate and various Chinese media shows Ellison, 61, jumping fully dressed into the river, where the unnamed woman struggled to stay afloat.
We are all immensely proud of our Chongqing Consul General, Stephen Ellison, who dived into a river on Saturday to rescue a drowning student and swim her to safety. pic.twitter.com/OOgXqsK5oe
– UK in China ???????? (@ukinchina) November 16, 2020
Ellison – according to multiple media reports, an accomplished triathlete – dragged her to a jetty lifebuoy on the shore before dragging them both to shore.
“We are all extremely proud of our consul general in Chongqing,” the British diplomatic mission in China tweeted on Monday.
The hashtag “British consul general in Chongqing saves fallen student” had garnered nearly 40 million thanks on Weibo as of Monday evening as word of Ellison’s bravery spread.
“For a man of such advanced age, saving another person from the water in such cold weather, regardless of his own safety, is a hero and a gentleman!” read a comment, liked almost 2,000 times.
“Regardless of our differences… to act heroically is a virtue and should be commended,” wrote another.
Ellison took office in June after serving as a senior diplomat at the British Embassy in Beijing since 2014.
Relations between the UK and China have been strained this year due to the UK’s decision to ban Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from its 5G networks, as well as frequent criticism from the UK on the balance sheet. of China’s human rights issues on issues such as Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
