A British diplomat has been praised for his bravery after jumping into a river to rescue a drowned student.

Footage posted on social media showed the woman fighting in the water in Chongqing’s Zhongshan town before being seen losing consciousness on Saturday.

A woman, who did not want to be named, was seen lying in a 24-year-old river and several onlookers shouted.

Stephen Ellison, Consul General of Chongqing, was later seen taking off his shoes before jumping in to help him.

The back1-year-old swims towards the student before rolling behind him.

Mr. Ellison then grabs the top of a rubber ring that was thrown into the water by the spectator, before dragging the woman to some rocks by the water where others help her.

Mr Ellison, originally from Newcastle, told the BBC the student was from Wuhan and he studied at Chongqing University.

He added he was shaken by the experience and is slowly recovering.

The British Consulate General in Chongqing said in a statement that the student quickly regained consciousness.

They added that Mr Ellison was given a cup of coffee by local villagers and handed over to replace dry clothes during the rescue.

Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming praised Mr Ellison for rescuing the river.

He tweeted: “Greetings to the new British Consul General for challenging Stephen Ellison. His name will be remembered not only in Chongqing but all over China.

The British Embassy in Beijing tweeted: “We are all very proud of our Chongqing Consul General Stephen Ellison, who drowned in a river on Saturday to rescue a drowned student and swim him to safety.”

Tom Tugenhat, chairman of the Tory MG and Foreign Affairs Committee, tweeted: “Thank you Stephen Ellison from all those commonsforin for your courage and response.”