13-year-old Nuraly Alkhan, a resident of Karaganda, saved a 4-year-old child from death. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
The incident occurred at Lake Semizbugy in the Bukhar-Zhyrau district. Nuraly had gone there to rest with family friends. Nearby, another family was also resting. Their children were riding an inflatable mattress on the lake. Later, the older children got out of the water, leaving the 4-year-old alone on the mattress. The wind carried the mattress toward the middle of the lake.
According to Nuraly's mother, Samal Abdrakhmanova, at that moment Nuraly and his younger brother were fishing on the shore. The younger brother noticed the mattress with the child and told his older brother. Nuraly wears glasses; putting them on, he saw the child sitting on the mattress and immediately rushed to save him.
Nuraly said he was not afraid but thought he needed to save the child. He swam toward the mattress, but as he approached, the mattress rocked, and the child fell into the water. The child struggled a couple of times and sank. Nuraly desperately brought him to the surface. However, since the child was lying on top of him, he could not support his weight and swam with one arm.
Both children fought for life and moved toward the shore. At that moment, a 20-year-old man with an inflatable ball came and helped the children swim to shore. The choking toddler's body turned blue, and he vomited. Later, he received the necessary assistance.
The rescued child's parents invited Nuraly to their home and gave him a valuable gift. The Emergency Situations Department of Karaganda region awarded Nuraly the medal "For Saving the Drowning" and presented him with a bicycle.