A boy of 13 has been taken to hospital following a dramatic rescue from the fifth floor of a building undergoing renovation. The teenager was strapped into a stretcher and lowered to the ground by a fire service cherry picker before being taken to hospital.
Footage from the scene showed the child appearing to be able to move following an incident in Oldham town centre on Sunday afternoon. His condition has not been revealed.
The drama started at a building undergoing renovation at Oldham Mumps at 2pm. Police, firefighters, paramedics and an air ambulance were scrambled to the scene. It prompted a rescue operation which took more than an hour. The boy was taken to hospital in a road ambulance, according to eye-witnesses.
READ MORE: Greater Manchester hour-by-hour weather forecast as Met Office thunderstorm warning in place
One resident of a nearby block of flats, 47, who declined to be named, told the Manchester Evening News: “It’s being turned into flats. I heard the helicopter and at first I thought it must have been a workman or something like that. The helicopter landed in a car park across the road and then I clocked it was something to do with the building and, obviously, they were rescuing someone.
“It looked like the person was holding a mobile phone and they were moving, so I felt it wasn’t very, very serious even though there were a lot of rescue people there.”
He admitted it was ‘a surprise’ to learn confirmation from the fire service the rescue involved a boy of 13. He added: “It was all very well organised. There was a lot going on. They obviously wanted to be prepared for everything, which is good.”
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “Just before 2pm this afternoon (Sunday 12th May) three fire engines from Manchester Central, Philips Park and Hollins fire station, along with the Technical Response Unit from Ashton, were called to reports of a person falling through the roof of a building near Oldham Mumps.
“Crews arrived quickly at the scene. Firefighters used a turn table ladder to rescue a 13-year-old boy from the building, who was then taken to hospital by colleagues from North West Ambulance Service.
“Firefighters were in attendance for around an hour and ten minutes.”
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said officers were called at around 2.25pm, primarily to conduct traffic management in the area while their emergency services colleagues focussed on the rescue operation.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
