According to media reports, Rezetine Gomes, alongside Elliott Bradwell and some others, rescued a four-year-old child from drowning at Coate Water Country Park.
The child is reported to have wandered off from his family and fallen into the lake. A report in the Swindon Advertiser stated that a witness reported a dramatic scene at Coate Water Country Park on Saturday evening.
“The mother was searching for her son when a man spotted the boy drowning in the lake at around 5.40 pm on Saturday. According to the witness, the kind stranger ‘jumped in straight away and saved him’,” the report stated.
“Paramedics rushed to the park and carried out resuscitation on the boy, who was still breathing. The good Samaritan got out of the water safely and was seen giving a statement to police. A large crowd gathered as the search became more frantic, and the bystanders helped the man who had jumped into the lake,” the Swindon Advertiser report added.
The rescue prompted widespread public and civic praise for the rescuers. Councillors and the child’s mother publicly praised Rezetine for his selfless actions and community spirit.
According to the Wiltshire 999s post on its Facebook page, London councillor Floyd Dias Do Rosario, who represents Wembley Hill, thanked Rezetine Gomes, originally from Agassaim, for his reported involvement in the rescue. Wiltshire 999s reported that the incident had prompted a major emergency response, with police, ambulance crews and the Great Western Air Ambulance called to the scene. The child was rescued from the water and taken to hospital, conscious and breathing.
In his statement, Rosario thanked all of the emergency services and members of the public who assisted, but paid particular tribute to Rezetine, saying his reported actions reflected “courage, community spirit and public service.” He also said his thoughts were with the child and the child’s family, and wished the youngster a full and speedy recovery.
Acted instinctively to save boy: Goan hero
THE GOAN I LONDON
Rezetine Gomes told The Goan that he acted instinctively on noticing the young boy struggling in the lake and jumped into the lake to rescue the child.
“As I held on to the boy and approached the bank of the lake, two fellow Goans, Francis Rebello and Rocky Fernandes, both from Vasco, assisted me in lifting the boy. Meanwhile, emergency staff arrived and took over the rescue operation,” said Gomes.
