Alert Webcam Viewer Saves a Life

Viewer in Germany spotted man floating by in river, called police
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 21, 2019 1:33 PM CDT
Man Rescued From River Thanks to Webcam Viewer
Boats pass the Elbe Philharmonic Hall along the Elbe River in Hamburg, Germany, on July 1, 2017.   (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

A German man was watching a webcam attached to a ferry pier in Hamburg, along the Elbe River, early Thursday when he spotted something that didn't belong: an elderly man floating by. His quick call to police saved the 72-year-old, who local media report had fallen into the water along a riverside path, per Deutsche Welle. The man, suffering severe hypothermia, appeared too weak to grab a life ring tossed to him by rescuers, who'd arrived on several boats and eventually pulled him to safety, according to the Hamburg fire brigade. (More uplifting news stories.)

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