@ManniBoora

The family of a mum-of-three who died after being pulled from a river have paid tribute to a "sociable and warmhearted" woman.

Kulbir Kaur Rai, 52, died in hospital after being found unconscious in the River Thames.

Concerns for her welfare had been reported to police hours before.

Mrs Rai, of Lennox Road, Gravesend, was found in the water at 1.20am on Sunday after the RNLI and the Port of London Authority carried out a search.

Emergency crews began looking for Mrs Rai after the alarm was first raised at 9.30pm on Saturday.

The RNLI launched at 12.41am on Sunday to search Gravesend Reach before being alerted to a body close to Gravesend pier.

"We are a very close knit family so are in utter shock that this has happened..." - Hardeep Rai

Rescuers pulled Mrs Rai from the water and administered CPR before transferring her to the care of paramedics. She was pronounced dead after arriving at hospital.

Speaking today, her daughter Hardeep Rai, 27, described her as a loving person who will be sorely missed.

She said: "We are a very close knit family so are in utter shock that this has happened.

"She had many friends and family who loved her and will remember her for the beautiful person that she was.

"She was very loving and sociable, she enjoyed talking to friends, she was warmhearted, kind and she was always helping others in the community."

Mrs Rai was a keen cook who spent her Sunday evenings praying at the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara.

Her brother Manga Singh Dhillon, 57, added: "My beloved sister was the youngest out of three. I will always cherish her memory."

The family said her death comes after battling health problems including kidney failure and diabetes, which led to her suffering from depression.

A police spokeswoman confirmed the death was being treated as non-suspicious.

She said: "Police was called at 9.30pm on Saturday, May 9 to a report of a concern for the welfare of a woman in her 50s in Lennox Road, Gravesend.

"Officers began conducting enquiries and searching for the woman immediately.

"An unconscious woman was located off Gravesend pier at around 1.20am and later declared dead at hospital.

A report is due to be filed for the coroner.

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