Police in China rescued a sex doll from a river, mistakenly believing it to be a drowning woman.

The doll was floating around 50 metres from the riverbank in the Shandong province when 18 officers arrived at the scene, according to Chinese website Sohu.

It took police 40 minutes to 'save' the inflatable doll. Authorities reportedly could not identify the item until they were much closer.

The incident happened on July 11, with more than 1,000 people watching the rescue attempt. Onlookers were reported to have blocked traffic and prevented firefighters from getting through.

In Germany last month, police mistook the noise of a vibrator for that of a burglar.

> Chinese TV reporter mistakes male sex toy for rare mushroom - video

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