Woman fights for life after River Aire current drags her five miles

A woman is fighting for her life after falling into the River Aire and being dragged by the current for around five miles as stormy weather battered Leeds.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for much of the country, predicting a month of rain in just 42 hours, and is set to end at 12pm today (Thursday 23 May). The woman, in her 30s, was first seen floating on the River Aire, close to Clarence Dock, at 1.36am.

Emergency crews found her traveling downstream towards Woodlesford and rescued her from the swollen river banks. She was then rushed to hospital and remains in critical condition. West Yorkshire Police are still trying to establish how she ended up in the river.

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A spokesman for the force said: “At 1.36am today, police were alerted that a woman was believed to be in the River Aire near Clarence Dock in Leeds. Officers and the National Police Air Service were deployed and the woman was located traveling downstream towards Woodlesford. , where she was brought to safety by firefighters and taken to the hospital.

“The woman, who is in her thirties, remains in hospital this morning, where her condition is described as critical. Investigations are underway to determine how it ended up in the river.”

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