Eloor: Swept away in the strong flow of the rain-fed river, Abdul Latheef swam five kilometres in what effectively was a trip from death to life again. The Periyar, in full monsoon fury, took the 35-year-old from this industrial belt downstream, where a clutch of grass by boulders gave him a grip — and a second birth of sorts.
On Sunday, around noon, Latheef of Vadakkeparambil house in Elookara went for a bath in the nearby river. What a set of youngsters soon noticed was a man rolling down the gushing waters, his head alone up above the water level. The youths, sitting by the banks at Edamula, didn’t muster the courage to jump into the river, finding it risky.
Nonetheless, keen to rescue the fellow being, they got in touch with local civic authorities. Joseph Sherry, who is a councillor of the Eloor Municipality, was contacted over phone, seeking immediate action.
Sherry promptly passed on the message to the fire force, which rushed a team to the bridge at Pathalam. Latheef had by then reached a spot 200 metres short of where the rescuers had stationed themselves. He had bumped into a set of rocks, which blocked his way. There, a tuft of strongly rooted grass came to his help. As Latheef held on to it, the fire force team neared him and did the rescue act.
The man was taken to the ESI Hospital for primary aid. He was discharged shortly later, police said.
