A heroic mother died along with her son when she leapt into a London river to try and save him, a witness has said.
The woman, 34, was pulled from the water of the River Brent in Elthorne Park, in Ealing, along with her son, 7, on Saturday.
Emergency services were called to the pair “getting into difficulty” just before 4.30pm.
They were pulled from the water, where there are said to be strong currents, and given treatment but died at the scene.
A witness has described how the tragedy unfolded in the hot weather over the weekend.
They explained to the Sun how the mother leapt into action to save her son after seeing him get into difficulty in the river.
The witness told the newspaper: “In a matter of seconds he had run away from his mum and had jumped into the water.
“He looked hot and jumped in.
“His mum then followed him and they were struggling as the currents were too strong. The water is very deep.”
“The mum was holding onto her son.”
The witness said another person also jumped in after them to try and pull them to shore but also struggled in the current and had to let go.
A canal boat owner told the Metro: “It was a very sunny day there were people with picnics and kids playing. There were loads of people around. I saw one body brought out – it was absolutely terrible.
“If I had known what was happening I would have shot over there as I have a lot of safety and rescue equipment on my boat. I’m so upset – this is just awful.”
The Metropolitan Police said on Sunday: “Further inquiries carried out by officers into the incident have established it was a tragic accident and the deaths of the woman and child who very sadly lost their lives are being treated as non-suspicious.”
Police added: “Next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
“This is understandably an incredibly difficult time for them and they have requested that their privacy be respected.”
On Saturday, Detective Superintendent Pete Thackray, from the Met’s west area command unit, acknowledged “the efforts of the first responders and members of the public who did their very best in an incredibly challenging situation”.
In a post on X, Jon Ball, Liberal Democrat councillor for Ealing Common, said: “My thoughts go out to the family of those involved in the tragic accident in Elthorne Park today.”
