An elderly man risked his life to rescue his wife, who accidentally fell into a 40-foot well filled with water at their house in Kodakuthi near Kolancherry on Monday afternoon (May 25).

Mohanan, 65, was alerted by the cries of his wife, Shantha Mohanan, 57, after she fell into the well. He immediately descended and managed to cling to the ring of the well while holding his wife above the water level to prevent her from drowning.

People in the neighbourhood alerted the Puthencruz police and the fire station at Pattimattom. “It took us around 13 minutes to reach the spot, some 12 km away, and another 15-odd minutes to rescue them. Both risked drowning had we delayed in rescuing them,” said fire and rescue services officials.

Fire force personnel lowered a ring attached to a net to rescue the woman first, followed by her husband. Though the couple sustained no visible injuries, they were nevertheless examined at a nearby hospital. A fire and rescue services team led by station officer N.H. Hassainar carried out the rescue operations.