A 61-year-old British diplomat jumped into a river in China to save a 24-year-old woman who fell in

• A British diplomat dove into a river to rescue a woman from the water.
• 61-year-old Stephen Ellison, a British diplomat in China, rescued a 24-year-old student who was drowning in the river on Saturday morning, outlets including the BBC and the Guardian reported.
• Ellison received praise for his actions after video of the incident was shared online.

A British diplomat jumped into a river to rescue a woman from the water.

61-year-old Stephen Ellison, who is the British Consul General of Chongqing in southwest China, dove into the water to rescue a 24-year-old student who was drowning in the river Saturday morning, outlets including the BBC and the Guardian reported.

The video shared by the British Embassy Beijing shows Ellison diving into the water fully clothed, and reaching out for a life preserver with the woman.

—UK in China (@ukinchina) November 16, 2020

"[It] was pretty evident quite quickly that she was in trouble. She couldn't swim," Ellison told BBC News. "You know she went under the water and when she came up she was floating head down in the water, so there really wasn't a lot of time to do anything other than to get in."

Ellison received praise for his actions after video of the incident was shared online.

Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese Ambassador to the UK, retweeted the video from the British Embassy and said that "His name will be remembered not only in Chongqing area but around China. His act of heroism and kindness will be a much-told & far-spread story of China-UK friendship."

—Liu Xiaoming (@AmbLiuXiaoMing) November 16, 2020

Dominic Raab, UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs and First Secretary of State, said in a tweet that he was "very proud" of Ellison and that "his bravery and commitment demonstrates the very best of British diplomats around the world."

—Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) November 16, 2020

Laura Clarke, British High Commissioner to New Zealand, praised Ellison and said in a tweet it was "wonderful to see" rescue the woman.

—Laura Clarke (@LauraClarkeUK) November 16, 2020

French diplomat Eric Lebédel congratulated Ellison in a tweet.

—Eric Lebédel (@EricLebedel) November 16, 2020

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