Anil and Arun Kumar, 20-year-old twins from Changanerry taluk’s Kangazha in Kerala, turned heroes overnight for the residents of Kuttanad’s Mambazhakkara, which is 58 km away. On Wednesday, the duo, who were visiting relatives in Mambazhakkara, were fishing in the Alappuzha-Changanacherry Canal (popularly known as the AC Canal). While they were doing so, they caught sight of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl who was drowning, and jumped in to save her despite not knowing how to swim themselves.
“The duo had been visiting their relative’s house in Kuttanad and had cast a net in the canal to catch fish. This was around 3:30 pm on Wednesday. The toddler, who lives in the vicinity, was playing nearby and she ran toward a bridge built across the canal, when she slipped and fell into the water,” a local reporter aware of the developments told TNM. As soon as the twins saw that the child had been drowning, Anil stood on top of a stone near the bank of the river and stretched his leg out. The child could then hold on the leg. Arun, the other brother, then jumped into the water, despite not knowing how deep it was.
“Arun jumped closer to the bank and therefore the water was shallow. He then picked up the child and climbed back up to the banks,” the reporter added. The child’s mother as well as other residents in the area quickly gathered by the river as the incident developed. Anil and Arun have now gone back to their home in Kangazha.
The AC canal has a depth of more than 15 feet in its middle. The local panchayat has earlier reported some deaths of people who have fallen into the canal and drowned. In August 2020, a 70-year-old woman was also reported to be missing after she fell into the canal, when there were heavy monsoon showers in the region. The AC road, which runs along the canal, was also water logged during the time, and the Kerala RTC had suspended several bus routes which pass through the road.