Cardiff: River rescue mission launched after man ‘heard screaming for help’ in water

Man was spotted in River Taff near Principality Stadium

A river rescue is ongoing near Cardiff city centre (Media Wales)

A rescue attempt is ongoing after a man was heard “screaming for help” in a Cardiff river.

Emergency services rushed to the scene near the Principality Stadium, amid reports that a male had been swept into the River Taff.

The rescue operation was launched shortly after 7.40am, with the entrance to Wood Street bridge closed.

Speaking to the BBC, college student Kaiden Campisi said: “He was shouting and screaming for help. I chased him to try and keep up with him. I lost sight of him in the river.”

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said they were called at around 7.50am after receiving calls of a water rescue.

“Multiple crews were in attendance, alongside other emergency services colleagues. A stop message was received at approximately 10:22am,” they said.

A spokesperson for South Wales Police said: “Emergency services are at the scene of an ongoing incident in Cardiff city centre following a report at 7.53am of a person in the River Taff near Wood Street bridge.

“The road between Tudor Street and Wood Street had to be closed in both directions.”

The RNLI said: “Penarth RNLI volunteers were requested to launch the D class inshore lifeboat at 8:15am this morning (Tuesday 24 October) to join a multi-agency search for a missing person in the River Taff in Cardiff Bay.

“The RNLI volunteers were stood down at 11:30am and returned to station.”

Cardiff Bus posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that a number of bus diversions were in place in the city centre, but that services had now resumed as normal.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the police by phone, email or on its website quoting incident ‘199’.