71-year-old woman jumps into river to save drowning man

The elderly woman was chatting with friends in Suixi County, Anhui Province when she heard desperate cries for help coming from a nearby bridge on the evening of July 13, Asia One reported, citing Anhui Daily.

Believing a child had fallen into the water, the woman, later identified as Liu Defang, took off her shoes, grabbed a lifebuoy handed to her by another woman, and leapt into the river.

Liu told reporters: “At first, I was very anxious because I thought a child had fallen into the river.”

“But when I swam up to him and grabbed his arm, I realized he was a young man who looked to be about 30 years old,” she told Anhui Daily.

The man, who was believed to have jumped into the water, initially struggled and tried to break free. Despite becoming exhausted during the rescue, Liu refused to let go.

With the aid of the lifebuoy and two bystanders on the riverbank, she managed to bring him ashore after more than 20 minutes.

She then left the scene before anyone had the chance to ask who she was, HK01 reported. She did not even tell her family about the incident, as she did not want her children to worry.

Police subsequently released surveillance footage of the rescue in an effort to identify her. The video quickly spread across Chinese social media, where users dubbed mystery rescuer as the “white-haired grandma” and praised her bravery.

Within 10 hours of its release, the video received 8,000 likes, 4,000 shares, and 500 complimentary comments on social media, according to the South China Morning Post.

Her identity was officially confirmed the following day when her brother contacted the police.

Her daughter said she was proud of her, although the family was shaken after learning how dangerous the rescue had been. She described Liu as someone who has always been compassionate and is often the first to help neighbors in need.

Liu attributed her successful rescue to years of staying physically active. While living with her daughter, she regularly exercised at a gym, practicing yoga and aerobics, and taught herself how to swim.

Liu said she would like to comfort the man who had tried to take his own life, saying: “Any difficulties will come to an end. Nothing is as important as life. Don’t give up too easily,” as quoted by Anhui Daily.