WATCH the incredible moment a farm drone plucks a man out of a surging river amid Vietnam’s worst flooding for decades.
The farm worker, Nguyen Van Hat, had to be rescued from an island in the middle of the Serepok River, Dak Lak province, as water rose alarmingly around him.
Footage from Friday morning shows the large drone hovering a few metres above the surface of the thundering water.
A life buoy hangs down from the machine on large straps, with Mr Hat, 49, desperately clinging to it.
The drone battles against the pull of the water as it tries to haul Mr Hat out of the river.
Strong torrents and wind gusts repeatedly threaten to destabilise the machine – and at one moment it almost plummets into the water.
The drone veers down sharply, dipping to within inches of the surface, before the operator manages to regain control.
Eventually, Mr Hat was flown up into the air and across the river to safety.
The farm labourer had been working on a sandbar but became stranded as the river rose rapidly.
Locals rescuers were helped by a farmer who brought the drone along.
They tied a life jacket and buoy to the machine and sent it over to where Mr Hat was stuck – about 30 metres from the shore.
A local official said: “When Mr Hat was discovered on an oasis in the middle of the Serepok River, the authorities asked the police to keep in touch.
“However, by the afternoon of the same day, the river water was flowing more rapidly and it was predicted that the river water level would rise, so the authorities deployed a drone to bring Mr Hat safely to shore.”
Central Vietnam has been hit with torrential rainfall this week bringing the most severe flooding for many years to the region.
Another similar drone rescue was staged to save a fisherman after his boat capsized.
Pham Van Truong fell into the water and was swept away along with his partner on Thursday afternoon.
A search through the night failed to locate him, but on Friday morning rescuers spotted him clinging to a bit of land near a bridge.
An agricultural drone lifted him to safety – but his partner is still missing.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15534996/drone-saves-man-drowning-river-flooding/
