Woman fished out of Cape harbour with a crane

Multiple emergency services scrambled this morning to rescue a woman who landed in the cold waters of Table Bay harbour.

She is being treated for hypothermia after her rescue.

It is not yet known why she got into the water from the harbour wall‚ according to the National Sea Rescue Institute.

Paula Leech‚ NSRI Table Bay duty controller‚ said their crew were activated at 11.30am today.

"We found an adult female‚ believed to be a local but not identified‚ in the water in a life-ring.

"Crew of a Hong Kong registered vessel‚ Saga Beija-Flor‚ had witnessed the lady go into the water and they had thrown her a life-buoy from their vessel and they were holding onto the end of the rope of the life-ring and she remained afloat in the life-ring and they raised the alarm.

"Our NSRI rescue swimmers entered the water and secured the female and a crane was used to bring the female out of the water secured by our NSRI rescue swimmers and she was brought onto the harbour wall where NSRI medics‚ assisted by ER24 and EMS paramedics‚ treated the lady for hypothermia."

She was transported to hospital in a stable condition.

Leech said: "Police are investigating the circumstances but it remains unknown what caused the lady to go into the water from the harbour wall."

Teams involved in the rescue included NSRI Table Bay rescue swimmers‚ the SA Police Services‚ Western Cape Government Health EMS rescue squad‚ a Police Sea Borderline Patrol team‚ Transnet National Ports Authority staff and the ER24 ambulance service.