Emergency services rush to city centre bridge for dramatic canal 'rescue'

A major road in Manchester city centre had to be closed after emergency services rushed to a bridge to reports of a "concern for welfare", performing a dramatic rescue from the canal.

Pictures from Oxford Street this evening, May 1, showed police, ambulance, and fire crews at the scene of the bridge over the river Medlock, next to the Holiday Inn near Oxford Road railway station. The Manchester Evening News understands a man had to be rescued from the canal below, with the fire service taking control of the rescue.

Images from the scene showed members of various emergency services standing around one side of the bridge between the Revolution bar and the Holiday Inn, with a lift from one of the fire engines being extended above the road over the river, which the M.E.N understands crews had to use in order to gain access to the canal above the high walls either side of the bridge.

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Oxford Street was closed at the junction of Charles Street and Hulme Street, the corner where the Holiday Inn sits, with the cordon stretching up towards Whitworth Street, where the Palace Theatre is located. The incident focused around a small section of the street where it crossed over the River Medlock.

An eyewitness at the scene told the M.E.N: "There were loads of police here before at the bridge and two fire engines too, I didn't see what happened but when I came out and saw them all here there was a guy in the canal. It was quite scary, I hope he's going to be okay." Another said: "The emergency services were all here because they had to rescue a guy from the canal."

Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that the incident was a "concern for welfare which