A man who was pulled out of the River Lea following a lengthy search this morning has died, police have confirmed.
Police, firefighters and paramedics rushed to the towpath, near Lea Bridge Road on the Walthamstow and Hackney border, after a passer-by spotted a pile of clothes and a bike apparently abandoned by the water's edge. Another person saw the man “entering” the river.
The man was found after a 90-minute search and pulled out of the water by divers from the fire brigade.
Air Ambulance doctors and ambulance staff battled to save him and took him to hospital after he was found at about 10am, but he was pronounced dead shortly before midday.
<blockquote class="twitter-video" lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Emergency services continue to search for a possible person in the River Lea. Towpath closed off as a crime scene <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://t.co/qxDpshkqYF" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3095161-https://t.co/qxDpshkqYF" data-vars-event-id="c23">pic.twitter.com/qxDpshkqYF</a> — Shomrim N.E. London (@ShomrimOfficial) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/ShomrimOfficial/status/656387221755400192" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3095161-https://twitter.com/ShomrimOfficial/status/656387221755400192" data-vars-event-id="c23">October 20, 2015</a>
The Lea towpath is a popular commuter cycling route that connects the City with north London.
It is not known how the man got into the water, but London Ambulance Service said it had been called to reports of an “accident”.
The incident is not being treated as suspicious, police said.
