Sikh man plays hero, saves drowning girl using turban in Canada's Kamloops

Avtar Hothi, a 65-year-old farmer from Kamloops, British Columbia, used his turban to save a teen who had fallen into the cold waters of North Thompson River.

Toronto: In a heart-warming incident, a Sikh man saved a teenage girl from drowning by using his turban.

Avtar Hothi, a 65-year-old farmer from Kamloops, British Columbia, and his son Paul were working at their family farm in Heffley Creek, north of Kamloops, last Saturday when they heard cries for help.

The father-son duo then rushed to the riverbank to see a young woman struggling to stay afloat in the strong current.

Hothi then immediately used his turban to save the teen who had fallen into the cold waters of North Thompson River.

The man is now being hailed as a hero in Canada.

"I'm very proud of him," Paul said referring to his father.

"We were trying to look around for branches, and he just sprung to action, took off his turban right away, threw it in the water and pulled her to shore," Paul was quoted as saying by CBC News.

He said the girl was about 14- or 15-year-old. Paul said he does not know how she fell into the river, but stated that the water is very cold this time of year.

"She was just in shock at the moment we pulled her out of the water. She was freezing basically. (We) quickly covered her up with a blanket to warm her up," Paul said.

His father then drove the girl back to her grandmother's house a few minutes from their farm.

"We used his turban as a rope because it would have been a lot harder just to pull someone up off shore," Paul told The Canadian Press.

He said someone brought a blanket and the frightened woman was calmed down and returned safely to relatives in a nearby home.

Sikh men consider it improper to show their hair in public, but Paul stated that those rules do not apply if it is a case of life and death.

(With PTI inputs)