MALAPPURAM: Fisherman Abdul Rasheed from Parapanagadi is one of the heroes of the Tanur rescue operation. According to eyewitnesses, he rescued seven people from the river on Sunday. He was fishing in the river with his nets when the incident occurred.
“I was sitting on a small pathway along the river. The boat passed through the river in front of me. A few moments later, I saw the boat sinking. Passengers in the boat were crying loudly. I immediately jumped into the river and swam towards the boat. It was difficult to take the people out of the boat. So, I used my hand to break a glass window of the boat. I brought eight people back to the land. However, only a woman survived among the seven,” Abdul Rasheed said.
During the rescue operation, the 32-year-old sustained injuries on his hand and foot. “While breaking the glass, I injured my hand. Sustained injuries on the foot when it was hit by some objects in the river. The rescue officers noticed my injury and rushed me to a medical camp set up in the area,” he added.
Abdul Rasheed did not waste a second to think about his life before jumping into the river. His only thought at that time was rescue work. However, fire and rescue officials present in the accident spot on Tuesday asked the residents to consider their own lives too while taking such risks during rescue operations.