Life-Safety Intelligence for India
Most of these rescues happen in rivers, canals, flooded streets and ponds, and they show how quickly ordinary water turns dangerous. Villagers pull bathers out of a current, a boatman reaches a sinking car, and bystanders wade out...
Ordinary People. Extraordinary Impact.
0:23Locals pull passengers out of a Bolero trapped in a flooded railway underpassIndia
5:20Fishermen pull five people out of rough waves at Suryalanka beach, locals give CPR to oneIndia
4:27Local youths rescue people stranded by floodwater in Virendranagar, PalgharIndia
1:34Locals rescue a driver trapped in a car swept away by flooded drain water in VasaiIndia
0:49Villagers save a young man caught in the current while bathing in a river in ChandauliIndia
0:45Bystander wades through floodwater to rescue a woman on a submerged car in AtlantaUnited States
0:54Bystanders break the rear windshield of a sinking SUV and pull the driver out in VirginiaUnited States
3:02Villagers pull seven people out of the Sukri river in Pali, RajasthanIndia
1:23Villagers rescue an auto-rickshaw driver swept into an overflowing stream near RamnagarIndia
0:15Villagers jump in and pull a young man out of the flooded Sasur Khaderi river in KaushambiIndia
2:04Indian worker who held a girl above freezing water for 30 minutes is made honorary citizen of CraiovaRomania
3:01Two bystanders rescue a driver from a sinking car in floodwater north of BrisbaneAustraliaMost of these rescues happen in rivers, canals, flooded streets and ponds, and they show how quickly ordinary water turns dangerous. Villagers pull bathers out of a current, a boatman reaches a sinking car, and bystanders wade out to a stranded driver.
What can you safely do? Do not enter the water unless you are trained. Shout for help, call 112 or 108 and stay on dry land. Reach with a stick, a branch or a dupatta, or throw a rope or anything that floats, such as an empty plastic can or bottle. Lie flat on the bank so a panicking person cannot pull you in. Once the person is out, check for a response and normal breathing. If there is none, start CPR, beginning with five rescue breaths if you can give them, or chest compressions alone if you cannot. Take the person to hospital even if they seem fine. Never walk or drive through floodwater.
Several people in these clips went into the water to save a life, and that often puts the rescuer at risk too. Please treat the videos as stories, not instructions. They are not swimming or lifesaving training. We choose public YouTube videos that match a reported incident and can be played here, and we avoid graphic footage. Our guides on saving a drowning person, water safety and floodwater are linked at the bottom of this page.
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