Young hero rewarded for rescuing two nurses

Sanwal Hayat helped women out from vehicle stuck in a submerged underpass

MIANWALI: District Police Officer (DPO) Hassan Asad Alvi awarded a cash prize of Rs5,000 and a certificate of appreciation to a young local hero who saved lives of two nurses who were stuck in a flooded underpass.

Sanwal Hayat, a resident of Watta Khel, who works at a local restaurant, saw the two women stuck inside their car in an inundated underpass. He quickly moved to save the distressed women as dozens of other people merely watched the rescue unfold and did not come forward to offer assistance.

The young boy pulled the women out of the car which was quickly disappearing under the water.  A day ago heavy rains that lasted for over two hours had submerged the only underpass in the city. The local authorities usually pump water out of the underpass after 12-14 hours but had not cleared the road that day.

The two nurses, who are both employed at Sakina Hospital, survived the potentially deadly incident when Sanwal swam to the drowning vehicle to drag them out to safety.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2020.