Apple Watch played a vital role in the rescue of a cyclist in England after a flooded river caught and swept him away.

Apple Watch rescues another life in peril, this time in England's River Wye, the country's fourth-longest river. Reports say a cyclist managed to make a call for emergency help using his Apple Watch after the flooded river swept him away. Many are crediting the device for the survival of the cyclist.

According to the news media outlet BBC and BBC Hereford & Worcester, a local radio station, heavy rainfalls in England caused the flooding of the river. The strong current caught the unnamed cyclist and the swollen river swept him about a mile downstream. Unable to swim ashore to safety because of the strong current, the cyclist made an emergency call for help on his Apple Watch after managing to hold on to a low-lying tree branch in the flooded river.

To The Rescue

A rescue team, upon receiving the distress call from the Apple Watch of the cyclist, immediately set off to save the man from the flooded River Wye in England. According to the rescue station commander, Sean Bailey, the man gave his location while hanging on to the tree branch. "He was speaking to our fire control whilst he was clinging onto a tree, via his Apple Watch," Bailey said. The rescue station commander credits the device for the survival of the unnamed cyclist as it allowed rescuers to get to the man's location in the shortest possible time as the river's current was getting stronger by the minute.

The rescue station commander said that the unnamed cyclist was "quickly swept into the fast-flowing" section of England's River Wye. He admitted rescuers were surprised the man did not lose his grip on the tree branch considering the strong river current due to the flood. Bailey added that keeping calm and having the presence of mind to use his Apple Watch to call for help is a huge factor in the unnamed cyclist's survival.

A Health And Rescue Device

The River Wye passes through Rotherwas in Hereford, which is near Wales and England's border. Oftentimes, the river is subject to flood warnings, like many other parts of the UK. Recently, the Flood Forecasting Centre (FFC), which is the agency responsible for monitoring flooding in the country's many rivers, issued a warning about likely flooding to occur at River Wye due to heavy rains. Perhaps the unnamed cyclist was unaware of the flooding, which swept him some distance away from his initial location. Reports attribute the cyclist's timely rescue and survival to his prompt call for help using his Apple Watch.

This is not the first time that the Apple Watch received credit for the rescue of a life. Recently, the device also played a vital role in the rescue of a kidnap victim in Texas. With the rescue and survival of the cyclist in England swept away by a flooded river also credited to Apple Watch, the device is becoming popular, not only as a health gadget but also as a rescue device. Apple Watch can make regular phone calls through an LTE connection, or using a paired iPhone. The device also has an Emergency SOS feature, which contacts local authorities and informs them about the specified emergency.