A police officer saved two women after they got stuck in a swamp in Birmingham at night – and was thanked with a hug from one of them.
West Midlands Police have released video from a drone’s onboard thermal imaging camera, which was used to locate the two 23-year-old women in the dark.
The footage shows the pair wading through a marshy area of Birmingham’s Sutton Park as the officer is guided to them by the drone operator.
We’ve released @dronesWMP footage showing the rescue of two women who’d become stuck in a swamp & the touching mome… https://t.co/l48j5XY3ZT
— West Midlands Police (@West Midlands Police)
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After the three women meet, one of them is seen with the officer and then helping them out of their bog.
Police stated that the pair, who were travelling from Bristol to Birmingham, raised the alarm together with a friend after they became lost in the park at night on March 3.
They were down to their knees.
Sergeant Keith Bennett from the force’s drones unit said: “They were unfamiliar with the area, stuck in boggy ground and it was pitch black … it would have been a scary situation for anyone.
“They’d been stuck for about 30 minutes and their phone batteries were running low. They called a friend who went on to alert us at around 6.20pm.
“Even through the trees our thermal camera and skilled drone operator was able to find the women after a lengthy search over what was a large expanse of ground.
“It was a lovely moment to see one of them giving the officer a hug on the relief of being found.”
The video ends by showing the operator’s muddy legs.
According to West Midlands Police, they have 15 drones in the fleet. They use them to find missing persons, track criminal suspects, and protest against police.