Two men drown after going swimming at beauty spot weir on the River Thames in Berkshire

Two men drown and one is missing feared dead after going swimming at beauty spot weir on the River Thames in Berkshire

  • Two men have drowned after going swimming in the River Thames, locals say
  • Incident took place near Odney Weir at Cookham near Maidenhead today
  • Thames Valley Police are due to update on the situation this evening

Two men have drowned in the Thames and a third has been rushed to hospital after going swimming at a beauty spot in Berkshire, locals have said.

Eyewitnesses claim that two men in their late 30s or early 40s drowned near Odney Weir at Cookham near Maidenhead this evening.

The third man has been taken to hospital. His condition is not yet known. 

It is believed the group of men, thought to be Syrian refugees, had been swimming in the water before they were swept away by a current. 

Police, fire and rescue and air ambulance crews all rushed to the scene.

Thames Valley Police are yet to respond to MailOnline’s requests for comment.

Two men have drowned in the Thames and a third has been rushed to hospital after going swimming at a beauty spot in Berkshire, locals have said 

It is believed the group of men, thought to be Syrian refugees, had been swimming in the water before they were swept away by a current

It is believed the group of men, thought to be Syrian refugees, had been swimming in the water before they were swept away by a current 

A bystander who had been at the river bank said that they had earlier seen the three men jumping off the weir and doing backflips into the water.  

‘That was about 4.30pm. Later, after we had left the riverside, we heard loads of police sirens and came rushing back,’ they said. 

Local residents in Cookham said there were at least 40 emergency vehicles present, including police vehicles, ambulance vehicles, and fire engines. 

One man was rescued by a fisherman who jumped in and dragged him to safety, eyewitnesses claimed, while the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue service launched river boats to recover the other two bodies.

Local residents in Cookham said there were at least 40 emergency vehicles present, including police vehicles, ambulance vehicles, and fire engines

Local residents in Cookham said there were at least 40 emergency vehicles present, including police vehicles, ambulance vehicles, and fire engines

Eyewitnesses claim that two men in their late 30s or early 40s drowned near Odney Weir at Cookham near Maidenhead this evening

Eyewitnesses claim that two men in their late 30s or early 40s drowned near Odney Weir at Cookham near Maidenhead this evening 

A witness, 16-year-old Mallory Cairns, told how he and a few of his young friends had been swimming alongside the men earlier in the day.  

Mallory said: ‘One member of the public, who was a fisherman, pulled one of them out of the river and that guy survived. The other two died. 

‘We are presuming they have been found because they are clearing up now. Earlier we saw the rescue service launching boats to find a body.  

Police, fire and rescue and air ambulance crews all rushed to the scene. Thames Valley Police are yet to respond to MailOnline's requests for comment

Police, fire and rescue and air ambulance crews all rushed to the scene. Thames Valley Police are yet to respond to MailOnline’s requests for comment 

‘The fisherman has now gone but I think he was talking to the police.

‘The three men jumped into the Thames for fun, they were pleasure jumping. We were together down there all day. We were jumping in with them, they were just chilling, having a nice summer’s day out after lockdown.

‘They did not look like they were good swimmers but they were jumping, doing dives and backflips. They were nice guys, we spoke with them but they spoke only broken English – things like “hello”, “thank you”, “please”, “goodbye”.

‘Every year someone dies here, every single year. The undercurrent in this river is one of the strongest on the Thames and it is pretty dangerous.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk