A wildlife volunteer who came to the aid of an injured swan landed herself in danger after she fell into a weir and became trapped underwater.
INS News Agency Joanne Denobriga was submerged for 10 minutes as she attempted to rescue the distressed bird from waters where the Kennet and Avon canal divides.
The 50-year-old was sucked underneath the water's surface and forced through a small gap in a sluice gate, before being swept unconscious into white water on the other side of the weir.
But she was able to regain consciousness and pull herself to the bank using tree branches.
Despite her ordeal, Miss Denobriga reportedly escaped with only a scratched leg and a bruised elbow.
Paramedics believe the cold water may have helped her survive without brain damage after being submerged for so long.
"I believe my guardian angels were looking after me," Miss Denobriga, a life coach from Berkshire, reportedly said.
"It was like being pulled down a plug hole.
"I was caught in the current which turned into a whirlpool, like a vortex and I just remember shooting through this tunnel, like a chute."
The would-be rescuer said she had thought a large boom that she had climbed onto was stable, however it tipped over, throwing her into the water.
Miss Denobriga said she had made an error of judgment climbing onto the boom.
Despite her efforts, the injured swan later died.
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