A Muslim father from Bradford says he feels lucky to be alive after nearly drowning while trying to rescue his daughter and her friends from the River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey.
Non-swimmer Safraz Hussain, 44, instinctively jumped into the water when he saw the group struggling, The Telegraph and Argus reported.
“When your kid is in there, you don’t even think, you instinctively jump in,” he said.
“I am thinking this is the end.”
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The frightening ordeal unfolded during a day out at the popular Yorkshire beauty spot. Hussain had taken his daughter Amilah and her friends to enjoy the area near the bridge and stepping stones. As they ventured closer to the rapid rocks, danger struck.
“My daughter said all of a sudden she felt something underneath her feet and it took her away to a deeper end, below the rapid rocks area.”
At first, he thought the girls were just playing, but when he saw their panic, he leapt into action.
“I fell into a deep hole, maybe the undercurrent took my feet. Next minute, I was surrounded by water,” he recalled.
“It is horrific to think about, I get flashbacks from it.”
Hussain was submerged for several minutes before bystanders pulled him out.
“I remember being in like a daze and an out-of-body feeling. My brain was telling me it was a dream,” he said.
“All of a sudden, boom, I can see six or seven people around me.”
Big Thank You
Hussain was taken to Airedale General Hospital by ambulance and spent three days recovering.
“I can not thank these people (who helped him) enough. I am very grateful,” he said.
“This was extremely serious. I was dead.”
Muhammed Valeem, whose daughter Ishaa was among the group, was in Pakistan when he heard what had happened.
“She was very lucky. It was such a shock. It could have been a totally different scenario,” he said.
Hussain has since called for better signage at the site to warn others of the risks.
“They don’t know that there are underground caves and drops, just like I or the girls did not know,” he said.
“The signage does not explain how deep the water is.”
Emergency services responded quickly.
A Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokesperson said:
“We received an emergency call at 2.42pm on Saturday afternoon (July 12) to report persons in difficulty in the water near Bolton Abbey…”
North Yorkshire Police also confirmed attendance and medical assistance.