Miracle Toddler In Thames Accident Alive

A 18-month child who this morning was thought to have died after falling into the River Thames is alive, police have said.

Police were called at 9.45am following reports that a young child had fallen into the River Thames at Goring, on the border of Oxfordshire and Berkshire.

Sergeant Graham Pink, of Thames Valley Police said the child was first pronounced dead at the John Radcliffe Hospital but soon after, he said "a very faint heartbeat was discovered".

"The initial report was that the child had died. We put a statement out saying the child was dead and we would not have done that unless we had been told she was dead," he said.

However, the miracle toddler now remains in a "critical condition".

The child's mother and her other child, who were also on the river bank, have also been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue said they were made aware that one adult and two children "had been pulled from the river by a passer-by".

The BBC has reported that the child fell from a towpath and a boat was used in the rescue.

A spokeswoman for South Central Ambulance Service said that when they arrived the todder was "out of the water" but was "unconscious" and "not breathing".

This afternoon, John Radcliffe Hospital has not released a statement.

Police are continuing to monitor the scene of the accident. It is reported that the river is about half a mile downstream from pop star George Michael's house.

(DS)