Rescue of child by NDRF man praised

An officer of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued a sick child by sprinting across a bridge moments before it got submerged in gushing flood waters in rain-ravaged Kerala, with an image of his daring act going viral on the social media.

The NDRF team member, later identified as Kanhaiya Kumar, saw a man with a child asking for help from the other side of the narrow Cheruthoni Bridge near the Idukki Dam in the district, which was opened last week after a gap of 26 years.

He responded in a flash, ran across, grabbed the child and rushed back, unmindful of his safety.

A photograph of Kumar snapped while scurrying across the bridge with the child two days ago, has gone viral on the social media with netizens showering praise on him.

“As the waters were rising, I saw a man waving asking for help with a young child from the other side of the bridge. I crossed the bridge, grabbed the girl child and sprinted back as soon as I could to the other side,” he said later. The NDRF also rescued a man, two women and three children who had got stranded in the Kabini river at Orapally village of Wayanad district. Around 14 NDRF teams, comprising 100 members, ten columns of Army, besides personnel and helicopters from the Air Force and Navy are engaged in rescue and relief operations in different parts of the state.

Kerala has been hit by unprecedented floods with almost all the 40-odd rivers in spate following heavy rains since last week.