Migrant Saves 72-Year-Old Unconscious Man From River

A 72-year-old man fell unconscious into the River Nervion, Bilbao, and a Senegalese migrant jumped in to save him.

Senegalese migrant Mouhammad Fada Diouf did not hesitate to jump into the river in the northern city of Bilbao as soon as he saw the unconscious man fell into the river.

Diouf, 26, jumped into the river and proceeded to keep the elderly man afloat. When Diouf’s began to lose strength, other migrants jumped in to help until a nearby boat arrived to rescue the group.

He told Reuters he was near the river on Monday, June 21, with a group of friends when they noticed the man lose his balance and tumble into the river, which was muddied by heavy rainfall.

“A lot of people were standing there and recording, and nobody was able to help him,” Diouf said, according to Today.

“He was in a bad situation so I decided to save him, to help him, because I know how to swim I knew that I could do it”.

Diouf has been living in Spain for four years where he makes a living by weaving dreadlocks and various odd jobs.

The video of the rescue went viral on social media, causing Change.org to reward him with legal papers to stay in Spain because of his heroic and courageous act.

“A lot of them called me and said ‘we love what you did, you are a superhero, nothing more’,” he said.

Bilbao Basket, the professional basketball team where Fada Diouf plays in a migrant integration programme, praised his act and called him a great role model.

The professional basketball team Bilbao Basket, where Fada Diouf plays in a migrant integration program, praised him as a great role model.

“You are what we want to be,” the team said on Twitter.

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