A teenager saved the life of an old man who was drowning in the Ghataprabha near Mallapur village in Belagavi on Thursday.
Vithal Wodeyar from Pamaladinni village saved the life of Khaleel Rajannavar of Banahatti town in Bagalkot district.
Vithal, who was riding his bicycle near the riverbank, saw that a car was being washed away in the Ghataprabha.
He noticed that only one of the passengers had come out of the car, while another passenger was still stuck in the vehicle. It seemed to Vithal that the one who was left behind in the car could not swim.
He immediately jumped into the river and reached the car. He then pulled out safely the other passenger and took him to the riverbank. The other passenger, Mallik Mulla, had swam to safety already.
The Rajannavar brothers, Banahatti-based traders, were coming to Gokak for business. Their car got into the strong current of the Ghataprabha near the Duradundi-Ramapur bypass.
Later, they met Vithal Wodeyar’s family and thanked him.