My heart stopped for more than two hours after being trapped under ice – here’s how I survived

Anna was skiing when she hit a hole in the ice, then her head went under and she was pulled down by her water-filled clothes (Picture: Ketil Singstad/Einar Sund, exclusive to Metro)

As heatwaves draw more people to the water, scores of people drown in the UK every year. 

For many, the greatest danger is not hypothermia but the body’s immediate response to sudden immersion in cold water: cold shock, which can trigger involuntary gasping, panic and rapid breathing within seconds.

Yet under very different circumstances, the same cold water that can kill can also play a remarkable role in saving a life. 

27 years ago, as a woman became trapped beneath ice, profound hy...