A heroic 10-year-old pulled a child who was lying at the bottom of a swimming pool "lifeless" while on holiday in Turkey.
Lewis Smith initially thought the youngster's body was rubbish at the bottom of the pool, at the hotel in Belek, near Antalya.
Lewis and others managed to drag the four-year-old boy out of the pool, before Lewis's dad, Craig, carried out CPR on the boy, who had no pulse.
Eventually first aiders managed to get the water out of his lungs he was revived and rushed to hospital. The family have since returned home to Hedon, East Yorkshire after the incident on June 5, reports the Mirror.
Craig told HullLive: “We were by the pool and it was a normal day. I had gone back to my room briefly which was close by.
“My wife Ellie was with our three boys at the pool when Lewis shouted he had found something at the bottom. He thought it was a piece of rubbish or something initially but as he dived under he realised it was a child.
“Lewis managed to pull the child up while Ellie and others pulled the young boy out. As a firefighter, I am trained in CPR so they shouted for me and I ran out.
“The boy was medically dead at this point. He had no pulse and wasn’t breathing. But after giving the boy CPR we managed to get the water out of his lungs and then he was coughing and breathing.”
The boy put into an induced coma for two days in hospital, with the family told he appears to be recovering well.
Craig said: “We are in touch with the family who I think are from South Yorkshire. The grandma, who is from Sheffield, sent us a video of the boy having breakfast and he seems to be doing fine. He is still in hospital under observation.”
Craig says he could not be more proud of Lewis and his quick actions in saving the boy’s life.
“I am ecstatic by what Lewis did,” he said. “How a 10-year-old managed to pull out a child like that is unreal. I could not be more proud of him.
“Lewis was in shock to start with but I think it is dawning on him now what he did. People at the hotel even had a collection for him to thank him. Lewis was a hero that day.
“There was no lifeguard at the pool and there didn’t seem to be any staff nearby trained in CPR but I don’t know if there are any on site.
“It was lucky I was trained in CPR otherwise I’m not sure whether the boy would be here now. But the manager did thank us for what we did but I’m not sure what the other family will do now.”
Lewis was back at school on Monday, but Craig hopes they can turn the dramatic event into something even more positive.
He said: “We have told Lewis’s teacher what happened. Water safety is very important and does get taught at school so maybe Lewis’s experience can raise further awareness about the dangers and what people can do if they see someone in trouble.”
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