Villagers in Punjab’s Moga district formed a human bridge to rescue stranded schoolchildren from the wrath of sudden flash floods.
Villagers in Punjab’s Moga district formed a human bridge to rescue stranded schoolchildren from the wrath of sudden flash floods. The scene unfolded in Malleana village, about 160 km west of Chandigarh, where waist-deep waters had washed away the main road, cutting access to neighboring areas.
With the floodwaters surging and the only link between Malleana and Rasoolpur villages reduced to an 8-foot-wide torrent, two courageous men leaned over the breach, offering their backs as stepping stones for the schoolchildren to cross. As others formed a support chain, the children carefully walked across the human bridge, with helping hands guiding them to safety on the opposite bank.
Their schoolbags and even a visitor’s strolley followed in a relay formed by a chain of villagers.
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The moment was captured on video and quickly spread across social media, drawing praise and admiration.
"We are village people. It's natural for us. It's just that someone took a video and it reached outside," said Sukhwinder, one of the men who formed the bridge, while speaking to The Times of India.
The situation arose when schoolchildren from Malleana, who had boarded their schoolbus on a dry morning, returned in the afternoon only to find the road home had vanished under gushing floodwaters. The torrential rains had caused rivers and canals to overflow.
Vehicles and villagers stood helpless on both sides of the breach, unable to risk crossing the current. As the floodwater continued to rise and attempts to plug the gap failed, Sukhwinder and his fellow villagers took it upon themselves to ensure the children were not left stranded.
"When we saw that school students and teachers were facing problems, we decided to help them out. Two of us bent down to form a bridge, allowing them to walk on us and across. It's not a big thing, really," Sukhwinder added.
