Tributes paid to man missing in River Thames
- Published
A man missing feared drowned in the River Thames after he tried to save a child has been described as a hero and a caring soul by friends and family.
Nathan Lane, 28, is believed to have been swept away by strong currents at Gravesend, in north Kent, on Sunday.
Four people also jumped in to help the pair but Mr Lane disappeared under the water. The young girl was rescued.
Warren Lane described his brother as "always happy, smiling and jolly" and "a top man".
He said: "[Nathan was] always there to help anyone regardless of who they were, whether he knew them or not.
Low waters
"If you needed something, he'd be there with it.
"Being the person he is, he ran and jumped in from the jetty ... and obviously the current was too strong for him as well," he said.
The RNLI lifeboat was launched following the incident just off Gordon Promenade, but Mr Lane's body was not found.
Ian Dunkley, of the Gravesend RNLI lifeboat station, said it arrived on the scene extremely quickly.
"We spent a considerable amount of time on Sunday afternoon searching and then in the subsequent low waters we've been continuing to search," he said.
The RNLI, the Port of London Authority, Metropolitan Police officers, the Essex Police helicopter, Sheppey and Medway Coastguard, and the Kent Police launch boat were among those involved in the search.
- 15 July 2013