Police rescue sex doll from river

A team of 18 police officers was sent to rescue a 'drowning woman' from a Chinese river - only to find it was a sex doll.

Police in Shandong received a call reporting that a body had been seen floating in one of the province's rivers.

The 18 officers worked frantically for 40 minutes to rescue what looked like a lady in distress, reports RocketNews24.com, quoting Chinese language news site Sohu.

A 1,000-strong crowd gathered to watch the heroic rescue attempt, blocking traffic and preventing firefighters and rescue officials from reaching the scene.

But when officers finally managed to bring the 'body' ashore they discovered it was only a discarded inflatable doll.

Embarrassed mothers reportedly covered their children's faces and hurried them away from the scene before they could ask awkward questions.