In a heart-warming act, locals in Tangshan city in north China came together to rescue a family of three that had fallen into a frozen lake by forming a 66-foot long human chain.
In a video captured by an onlooker, many locals can be seen holding hands, putting their own lives at risk, to save the family.
A mother and her two children fell into the lake at around, 4 pm on January 7, in Caoxueqin Park in Tangshan, Hebei Province, according to Beijing News.
Her son had reportedly been playing on the ice formed on the lake when it cracked, causing the family to fall into the freezing water below. The temperature on that day was reportedly minus 13 degrees.
The rescuers held hands and formed a human chain to fish the family out of the water, while ensuring none of them fell into the water, Daily Mail reported.
The rescue reportedly lasted less than three minutes.
"My friends and I went together with other people. Some went for ropes, and others brought sticks. Then we began the rescue,” Man Xiaomeng, a rescuer, told CCTV Plus.
The lake was at least two-metres deep at the time, and locals couldn’t rush the process because the ice could crack beneath their feet, the report added.
"We stood together, hand-in-hand, to save the mother and her children. Everyone made the effort," Man added.
Local authorities have asked the rescuers to identify themselves so they can be publicly praised, reported Mirror UK.
“It's nothing worth mentioning. Everyone who took part in the operation had only one thought in our minds: 'We cannot just stand aside and do nothing. We have to save them,’” said Gao Xiuwei, another rescuer, told CCTV Plus.
You can watch the video here: