Mother and child rescued from Thames fall

A mother and her two-year-old daughter have been rescued from the River Thames by a lifeboat crew.

A spokesman for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) said the child slipped through railings into the water near Isleworth, west London and her mother "immediately jumped in after her".

Both were taken to the West Middlesex Hospital. They were not believed to be seriously injured and were both "awake and communicating", the RNLI said.

It happened shortly after 17:00 GMT.

The RNLI said a lifeboat from Chiswick was launched at 17:06 and was at the scene "about seven minutes later". The boat's helmsman said the water was about 8ft (2.4m) deep where the child fell in.

Spokesman David Clarke said paramedics from the London Ambulance Service were on a training exercise nearby and were quickly on the scene.

However, a line thrown into the water by the crew could not reach the 34-year-old mother and her daughter.

He said: "They could only be recovered by boat."