In a heart-stopping rescue, two young men from Kerala saved a woman from drowning after she was swept more than a kilometre down the swollen Kallada River. The dramatic incident unfolded on Wednesday afternoon near Puthoor, Kollam, showcasing extraordinary presence of mind and courage.
It was around 12:30 pm when Unnikrishnan, a private bank employee, heard desperate cries for help from the opposite bank of the river. Sensing danger, he grabbed a thick rope from his house and rushed towards the water. He was quickly joined by Visakh, an engineering student. Through the muddy waters, they spotted a woman struggling to keep her head above the water as she was violently swept downstream.

By the time the woman drifted near the Kulakkada-Ilangamangalam suspension bridge, the powerful current had pushed her closer to the bank. In a desperate bid for survival, she managed to grab hold of some wild creepers hanging low into the water. Erathukulakkada ward member Sujithkumar, who had already coordinated with rescue teams further downstream near the Enathu bridge, reached the spot and shouted words of encouragement: “Don’t let go! Help is on the way!”

Sensing they had only moments before her grip failed, Unnikrishnan and Visakh carefully threw the rope to her. With the assistance of gathering locals, they managed to pull her out of the river. The woman had fallen into the water at Muzhikkal Kadav, near Anthaman, which is over a kilometre upstream from where she was rescued. The Enathu police soon arrived at the scene and rushed the woman to the Adoor Government Hospital, where she is recovering. Local residents noted that even a slight delay in throwing the rope would have turned tragic, as she was on the verge of losing her grip on the wet vines. The swift, selfless action of the two young men has won them widespread admiration from the local community.