Volunteer fisherman Jaiswal KP wins accolades for rescue efforts in Kerala
Highlights
- Kerala fisherman crouched in flood waters to help people get to boat
- The video from Kerala's Malappuram was shared widely on social media
- The 32-year-old helped two elderly women and a young mother with baby
A Kerala fisherman who crouched in flood waters, offering his back for women to step on and get onto rescue boats, has emerged as the new hero on social media.
On Saturday, Jaiswal KP went down on all fours in nearly waist-deep water at a village in Mallapuram, to help rescued women climb onto inflatable boats.
The 32-year-old fisherman saw two elderly women and a young mother with a baby struggling to get into a boat, and didn't think twice.
The Nation Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which had organized the boats, praised the efforts of the fisherman from Vengara in Malappuram.
A mobile phone video that others in the rescue operation made of that gesture is in wide circulation on social media.
On Twitter, some have called Jaiswal a "national hero" while others describe his act as one of the "great stories of humanity coming out of this disaster."
In Kerala, where over 165 have died and lakhs have been displaced after the state's worst flood in a century, hundreds of fishermen have emerged as the unsung heroes, volunteering to take stranded people to safety.
Many have braved strong currents and waded in neck-deep waters to reach the thousands who are stranded on trees and rooftops.
On Monday, flood waters started receding in some districts of Kerala. There has been no rain in Thrissur in the last 24 hours. Reports suggest people who had moved to temporary shelters have started going home.
The centre has set up over 3,700 medical camps across Kerala as diseases are now the main concern. The centre and the state government are actively monitoring the healthcare situation so that there is no outbreak of waterborne and other diseases.