Watch dramatic Thames rescue: Woman suffering from seizures saved after falling into river

The moment the woman is plucked from the water (RNLI/ITN)

A woman believed to be suffering from Epilepsy has been rescued from the River Thames, London by a lifeboat crew.

The 20-year-old was pulled from the water yesterday by the RNLI members as she lay slumped over a life ring near the Tattershall Castle Vessel.

The crew were directed to the woman by passengers on a nearby boat and one RNLI member said that she was drifting in and out of consciousness when they arrived.

Once on board, the woman was given oxygen and put in the recovery position as the lifeboat sped to the river bank. A waiting ambulance at Waterloo Bridge took her straight to hospital.

RNLI crew member Steve King told The Evening Standard, “On assessment we found the woman was experiencing fits in keeping with epilepsy sufferers. She was shaking violently and experiencing convulsions. She was in a bad way.”

“When a casualty is having fits and seizures like she was we need to evacuate them rapidly whilst also working to warm her as she was very cold and wet and drifting in and out of consciousness” he added.

The incident which happened on Tuesday morning was captured on camera and shows the dramatic rescue. In the minute-long video, the woman appeared to be limp as she was retrieved from the water.

Members of the public first raised the alarm after they spotted a body floating in the water near Charing Cross Rail Bridge.

It is believed that the woman may have died if she had remained the in water much longer due to exposure and her underlying medical condition.