Disabled man saves couple from drowning during Kerala floods

Durai and his 90-year-old mother were on a neighbour’s terrace at the time of the incident after their house was destroyed in the floods.

A disabled man saved a couple from drowning in the flood-hit Pathanamthitta district in Kerala after he heard them cry out for help.

Sinna Durai from Othera heard the couple, which was holding on to an electric line after getting stuck in the water. (ANI Photo)

Sinna Durai from Othera heard the couple, which was holding on to an electric line after getting stuck in the water.

“... I made a makeshift raft and assisted them to move to an elevated platform. Soon after, they were rescued,” he said.

Durai and his 90-year-old mother were on a neighbour’s terrace at the time of the incident after their house was destroyed in the floods.

Torrential rain and floods killed 231 people, destroyed thousands of homes, and washed away roads and bridges, leading to an estimated loss of at least Rs 2,000 crore.

More than five lakh people have returned to their flood-hit homes but face the daunting tasks of repairing them, removing the sludge and evicting reptiles, especially poisonous snakes, that may have crept in. However, more than 10.40 lakh people were still in 2,770 camps across the state.