71-year-old braves icy river to rescue drowning man

Liu Guiyuan, a 71-year-old man from Chengdu, Sichuan province, has recently won widespread praise from netizens for braving icy waters to rescue a drowning man, Guangming Daily reported on Tuesday.

The incident occurred at 10 am on Jan 7 at a river in Fangqiao village of Chengdu. Wu Ke, a village official on patrol along the riverbank, was the first to spot a man who had fallen into the water and was being swept away by the swift current. He grabbed a life ring, ran along the riverbank and shouted for help.

Liu was passing by the river when he heard the cries for help as the man drifted downstream toward the shores where Liu was. Having already cycled some distance, Liu immediately turned his bicycle around, took off his clothes and jumped into the river.

Swimming against the strong current, Liu reached the drowning man, held him firmly and began pulling him toward the bank. However, the steep and slippery riverbank made it impossible to climb out safely.

Hearing Wu's calls from the opposite bank, Liu then began swimming across the river, dragging the man with him. During the swim, he carefully kept the man facing upright.

At the very moment, Wu first threw a life ring to Liu, but Liu failed to catch it. Wu then quickly grabbed a rescue pole and ran along the shore.

"The current was swift, and Mr Liu was a little exhausted after swimming across the river," Wu said. 

Fortunately, Liu managed to grab hold of the rescue pole, and both he and the man were carefully pulled to the riverbank.

The rescue, which lasted about 10 minutes, ended when firefighters arrived and used a rope to help pull the man to safety. The man was later taken to hospital and has since recovered.

"I wasn't afraid at all; my only thought was to save him," Liu recalled afterwards.

"I often tell myself that as long as it's a good thing I can do, I will definitely do it," he added.

Local authorities recognized Liu for his heroic, selfless act of kindness.