KANNIYAKUMARI: In a supreme act of kindness, a 60-year-old man sacrificed his life to save two boys from drowning in the Thamirabarani river at Kuzhithurai in Kanniyakumari late on Sunday. Fire and rescue services personnel retrieved the body of M Peter Johnson, a daily-wage worker from Kuzhithurai, on Monday afternoon.
M Alex, Peter’s younger sibling, said his brother made a living by stitching old bags. “My brother was poor, but never short on compassion. He gave his life to save the two boys he never knew, but there is no one now to take care of his family of wife and two children,” Alex said.
Fire and rescue services said due to the incessant rain over the past week, water level had increased multifold in Thamirabarani.
On Sunday afternoon, two boys — Akilesh (13) of Marthandam and I Mano (17) of Vayakkaraivilai —fell into the river accidentally when they were walking on the small bridge built over the check dam on the river at Kuzhithurai.
The boys were walking on the overpass to reach a ground to play cricket when the younger one accidentally fell into the river, sources said. The senior boy jumped immediately into the river to save his friend, said Kuzhithurai fire station officer K Chandran. Seeing the boys struggling in water, Peter, who was washing his clothes nearby, jumped into the river.
Body sent to Kuzhithurai government hospital for postmortem
Peter, who knew swimming, rescued the boys and handed them over one by one to another boy who also came to the rescue.
But since the water current was too heavy, Peter lost his footing and was washed away by the river.
A team of 30 fire and rescue services personnel led by District Fire Officer S Sathiya Kumar and Kuzhithurai fire station officer K Chandran went in two boats and retrieved the body on Monday afternoon.
Kaliyakavilai police said that the body was sent to Kuzhithurai GH for postmortem. A case under Section 194 BNSS has been registered and a probe is on.
