A man was plucked from a raging river in Ayrshire tonight as a volunteer lifeboat crew saved his life.
The dramatic scenes shortly after 7pm in Girvan saw the casualty "hanging on by his fingertips" to the wooden jetty in front of the RNLI lifeboat station.
Crew members heard the man crying for help after he had fallen into the river and been dragged by the fierce current on the back of Storm Franklin.
Rising water levels had put the river into spate, rising 2.5m in the last 24 hours and sent a raging torrent down river and through Girvan harbour.
The casualty, who was "holding on for dear life against the current", was eventually hauled from the water following a heroic effort by the lifeboat crew.
He has since been transferred to hospital in Ayr. Also in attendance were Girvan Coastguard rescue team.
Girvan Lifeboat coxwain/mechanic Callum Govus said: "The casualty was extremely lucky this evening in the fact we happened to be there at the time and were able to get to him so quickly.
"Having been in the freezing water for a total of 15 minutes, the gentleman after falling between his large boat and the jetty into the water had been washed through under the jetty by the raging river and had managed to cling on by his fingertips at the other side of the jetty in the harbour in total darkness.
"Potentially if we had been another few minutes heading out the door to training this man would have been swept away by the current out the pier end with the river in spate and no one would have known it had happened.
"I commend the crew for their quick actions and their training that kicked in which resulted in a life saved this evening."
To donate to the volunteer team at Girvan Lifeboat, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/girvan-rnli-fundraising-branch-2021
Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here
