Man Saves Year 5 Boy

Asiveli Devo has been dubbed a hero by the parents of a boy who is said to have nearly drowned at the Waimanu River recently.

On October 29, Mr Devo managed to apply CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) on 10-year-old, Prince Naitik Prasad, after he almost drowned in the river.

That day, Mr Devo was returning home from work after a hard day’s work.

Routinely, he would cross to and from the river using a bilbili (bamboo raft).

It was around 3pm when he saw a group of boys taking a swim at the river.

Some distance further, a woman by the river too.

Out of concern for the young, he stopped to ask if they knew how to swim.

“One of them said only one knew how to,” he said.

“So, I told them to swim only under adult supervision.”

Then he left. Moments later, he looked back and saw the lady waving at him appearing to be in panic.

“I quickly turned the bilibili around and was told that one of the boys didn’t emerge from the water,” he said.

The lady located where Prince was last seen and then he dived in.

On the first and second attempts he could not locate the boy.

In fact, the water was murky that day because of heavy rains from the past few days.

“It was about two minutes, yet it seemed like forever,” he recalled.

“When I spotted his feet on my third dive, I quickly pulled the boy out and took him to the riverbank.

“I knew I had to do something and fast, especially when the boy’s lips were turning blue and I couldn’t find a pulse,” he said.

“I was panicking but I quickly applied CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) until I felt a pulse.”

The 27-year-old said he learnt to apply CPR in high school and at work where Occupational Safety and Health (OHS) procedures are mandatory.

Mr Devo works for a roadworks company based in Nausori.

“I continued CPR with the help of another man until I could feel his pulse,” he said.

“This is the first time I applied it and I am glad that I knew how to do it.

“I told the boys to take the boy home and to make sure that they told his parents what happened so they could take him to the hospital.

“I am glad that I was there at the right time. I hope that this is a learning lesson for parents, especially for children who don’t tell their parents where they are going.”

Hero

Prince’s mother, Shalini Prasad, praised Mr Devo for his heroic acts.

“At about 4.30pm my son came home with the group,” she said.

“He was all wet and I asked them if they went to the river but one of the boys denied it.

“I asked my son to tell me the truth and then he told me that they went swimming but he didn’t tell me he drowned,” Ms Prasad said.

Ms Prasad said she noticed a change in her son’s voice but did not delve into until Mr Devo’s father came home at around 6pm and told her about the incident.

He also told her to take Prince to the hospital for observation.

“At the hospital he was examined, later he vomited,” she said.

“The next day after the x-ray the doctor told me that my son was okay.”

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