Two men leap into pond to save 25-year-old driver as car sinks in Pilibhit

With a car sinking fast in a deep pond with its driver trapped inside and bystanders watching helplessly, two men played Good Samaritans by risking their lives to pull out the 25-year-old car driver alive.

An act of courage that has drawn widespread praise after a video of the rescue surfaced on social media platforms.

The incident occurred around 11 am on Thursday near Kanshiram Baraat Ghar on the Tankpur highway when Shubham Tiwari of Sunghadi locality lost control of his car, which plunged into the Gohaniya pond, officials said.

With the car sinking fast and its windows shut, the driver remained trapped inside, struggling for more than 15 minutes and eventually losing consciousness, authorities said.

Locals who were gathered around hesitated to jump because of the pond's depth.

It is then a fisherman, Shabbir, from Chidiya Dah village rowed his small boat towards the sinking vehicle, broke the window of the car, and attempted to pull out Tiwari. During the process, his boat capsized, but he managed to resurface with the driver in his grasp.

Seeing the situation, a passerby, Dinesh Kushwaha, also jumped into the pond to assist Shabbir. Together, the two managed to rescue Tiwari and bring him to safety, authorities added.

He was then given Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the scene before being taken to the medical college for treatment, they said.

Upon receiving information, Pilibhit City Magistrate Vijayvardhan Tomar and area officials, including the police and fire department, reached the site immediately.

"Shabbir and Dinesh have shown immense courage by risking their lives to save the driver. They will be recognised for their bravery by the district magistrate," Tomar said.

Shubham, who previously worked at a rice mill, was alleged to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.