Lifeboat camera captures dramatic moment three men rescued from freezing Thames

These were the dramatic scenes as three men were rescued from the bitterly cold waters of the Thames in the early hours today.

The incident began at about 1.30am when a Spanish tourist fell into the water after jumping on the wall near Victoria Embankment. His friend jumped in to try to save him, and both were left struggling to stay afloat.

They had earlier been in the Walk-about bar across the road at Temple.

The men, both from Madrid, screamed for help in Spanish as they clung to the wall by their fingertips in the strong tide and were heard by Walkabout bar worker Ruben Cortecero, also from Madrid. He and his manager tried to throw the men a life ring.

That failed and then Mr Cortecero, 21, stripped to the waist, jumped in and hung to the wall with them.

An RNLI lifeboat was launched to rescue them and one onlooker flashed their phone torch to guide the crew as they pulled the men aboard. A lifeboat spokesman said Mr Cortecero’s actions had probably saved the tourists’ lives — but could have cost him his own.