WINNIPEG -- An RCMP officer used fellow first responders as an anchor while rescuing a man from the icy waters of the Saskatchewan River.

At around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, RCMP responded to a call for assistance at the bridge spanning the river at Grand Rapids.

When they arrived officers saw an adult male caught in the river’s strong current. After being carried downstream for about 50 meters the man was able to swim and grab hold of an ice edge.

After unsuccessfully trying to rescue the man with a rope throw bag, one of the officers, who is a trained ice rescue technician, used the throw bag on himself. As the man was losing consciousness and slipping under the water the officer tied the throw rope to his own chest. Using fellow first responders on scene as anchors, the officer crawled out onto the ice.

The officer was able to reach the man safely and they were both pulled to shore. Both individuals were taken to the Grand Rapids Nursing station. The man suffered minor injuries, and the officer was not injured.

As well as having ice rescue equipment, the Manitoba RCMP offers ice rescue training to its officers, especially to those working in the northern parts of the province. Over the last nine years, about 90 officers have completed the program.

Correction:

The story has been updated to correct the name of the river where the rescue occurred. It was the Saskatchewan River, not the south Saskatchewan River.