Mumbai teen siblings save man drowning in pool at Lonavla resort

Alefiyah and Abbas Akil pulled out the drowning man from the pool

Siblings Alefiyah and Abbas Akil have been swimming since they were 8 and 10 years old, but they'd never fathomed that their passion would one day help them save someone's life. In August, while they were holidaying at a resort in Lonavla, they jumped into the pool to save the life of a middle-aged guest who'd slipped and fallen into the deep end.

While the hotel presented the duo with an appreciation certificate, their Dubai-based family has nominated them for a bravery award. Alefiyah, 16, and Abbas, 13, landed in Mumbai on June 26 for their annual trip to the city. In August, the family decided to head to Lonavla. On August 7, they made their way to the Fariyas resort, where their stay began on a bruised note after Alefiyah began bleeding in her toe while swimming. A broken tile at the bottom of the pool was to blame.

Alefiyah Akil

Into the deep end
"After she got injured, we decided to do other activities around the pool," their mother Fatema Akil told mid-day, adding, "and suddenly, we heard a loud splash. One of the guests who was passing by the pool had accidentally fallen into the deep end."

"We were struck by panic seeing his family helplessly watch him drown because none of them knew how to swim either. Seeing all this, Alefiyah dived in without a moment of hesitation, despite her injury," said Fatema.

Abbas Akil

Brother jumps in
While Alefiyah was able to keep the man, aged around 50 years old, from drowning, she wasn't able to take him out of the water due to his weight. Soon enough, her brother Abbas jumped in too, and swam to the bottom of the pool. Using all his strength, he pushed the man up. Soon enough, with the help of other guests, the man was pulled out of the jaws of certain death.

This act of selflessness earned the siblings acknowledgement and appreciation from the hotel. On November 2, they also received a letter of appreciation (mid-day has a copy) from Fariyas. Their proud parents have now sent in an application to nominate the teens for a National Bravery Award.

"It was very scary to watch them pull out the guest, but at the same time, I also felt proud of my children who didn't think twice before jumping into the water to save a life," said a joyous Fatema.

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