A heroic Filipino man rescued an old couple caught in floodwater when typhoon Hato hit Macau last week, despite not knowing how to swim.
A video went viral on social media showing a man and a woman trapped when water flooded into the Rua do Almirante Sérgio around Rua da Praia do Manduco on Wednesday. The pair was later rescued by a Macau man of Filipino origin, Loreto Mijares Jr, HK01.com reported.
The old couple, Mr and Mrs Kung, who own a butcher’s shop in Complexo Municipal Do Mercado de S. Lourenço, recalled that they were walking back home when the typhoon approached. In just a few minutes, water flooded into the area where they walked – rising quickly to shoulder height. They were very scared and yelled for help.
Loreto, who was resting at home with his wife, heard the calls for help downstairs and saw the elderly couple trapped in the water. He immediately went downstairs and waded across the flooded street, although he doesn’t know how to swim.
“I only wanted to rescue them immediately,” he said later.
Another local man wearing a helmet and Loreto approached the couple, while other residents threw down a lifebuoy on a rope, which they used to drag the woman and then the man out of the water. After, they got the pair to a policeman.
Loreto’s wife Jhunnafe uploaded a clip showing the rescue. She wrote that she was worried but very proud of her husband’s action. “My husband is my real HERO!”
On Monday, the old couple met Loreto in person and immediately gave him a big hug. Other shop owners also came to him and wanted to take a photo with him.
Jhunnafe said the typhoon drama had helped improve relations in the community and proved that “there’s no barrier among Filipino, Chinese and Macau people, as we respect each other.”
Mr and Mrs Kung also wanted to meet the other local man and police officer who also saved their lives on Wednesday to thank them in person.
Hundreds of people watched the video and many praised Loreto as a hero.
Read: Foreigners help clean up after Macau hit by second typhoon
he is indeed a hero..kudos!