On December 16, the People's Committee of Duy Xuyen district, Quang Nam province held a ceremony to commend and reward Mr. Bui Thanh Tai, 39 years old, residing in Trung Dong village, Duy Trung commune, Duy Xuyen district for his brave action in saving 3 students swept away by floodwaters.
Previously, at around 5:20 p.m. on December 14, on the way home from school, a group of students from Luong The Vinh Secondary School, including Le Thuy Hang, Nguyen Mai Phuong (class 6/1) and Nguyen Thanh Bao Ngoc (class 6/2), were traveling through the inner-field road from Tay An communal house (An Hoa village) to Le Dinh family church (Trung Dong village) when they encountered high, fast-flowing water, causing 3 students and 2 electric bicycles to be swept away and flounder in the water.
At that time, Mr. Bui Thanh Tai was burning incense nearby. Hearing the cry for help, he immediately ran to the scene, jumped into the raging flood water, and saved 3 students from danger.
Mr. Tai said that when he heard the students screaming, he instinctively jumped in to save them without thinking twice. Luckily, he knew how to swim and had some knowledge of first aid, otherwise all four people might have been swept away by the current.
"After pulling the children back, I took off their raincoats and calmed them down. Then, I helped them safely to shore and contacted the local authorities and their families to take them home," Mr. Tai recalled.
Presenting a certificate of merit and a reward of 5 million VND to Mr. Bui Thanh Tai, Mr. Phan Xuan Canh - Chairman of Duy Xuyen District People's Committee said that Mr. Tai had bravely jumped into the floodwaters to save people in the rainy and windy weather. This was a brave act to help people in times of danger, and should be commended and replicated in the community.
In particular, Mr. Tai was also quick-witted and wise in applying rescue techniques to ensure the safety of himself and the three rescued students. This is truly a very lucky thing for the students' families.
