Heroic Almaty rescuer awarded for saving drowning boy

Image created from video frames

Tengrinews.kz - A 25-year-old man named Alikhan Zhaksylyk was awarded a national medal in Almaty for his heroic act of saving a teenager from drowning in the Esentai River, according to the press service of the Almaty Department of Emergency Situations (DES).

Tengrinews.kz - A 25-year-old man named Alikhan Zhaksylyk was awarded a national medal in Almaty for his heroic act of saving a teenager from drowning in the Esentai River, according to the press service of the Almaty Department of Emergency Situations (DES).

The head of the Almaty DES, Nurlan Atygayev, personally presented Alikhan with the "For saving drowning people" medal, awarded by the order of the Minister for Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan.

Photo: press service of Almaty DES

During the ceremony, Atygayev commended Alikhan’s courage and selflessness, thanking him for his swift actions, which prevented a tragedy.

"Thanks to your decisiveness and quick response, a child's life was saved," emphasized the DES head.

Photo: press service of Almaty DES

Alikhan, a graduate in Physical Culture and Sports from the Bolashak University in the Kyzylorda region, was accompanied by his parents, Saken Orazbayev and Bakhytgul Sugurova, as well as his grandmother, Bagzhan Kalbayevna, during the ceremony.

Recall that on October 27, Alikhan, a native of Kyzylorda, had come to Almaty looking for work and temporary housing. Around 1:30 p.m., while walking along the Esentai River near Makataev Street, he suddenly heard children shouting. Moments later, a boy ran up to him, frantically explaining that his friend had fallen into the river and was drowning.

Without hesitation, Alikhan acted. Seeing the boy caught in the river’s strong current, he realized the child's life was at risk. He quickly scaled the fence and jumped into the water. Despite the cold and danger, he swam toward the boy, who was already exhausted, and managed to pull him to shore, saving his life.

After receiving the award, Alikhan expressed gratitude to the authorities and shared details of the incident, saying he acted on instinct without considering his own safety.

Photo: press service of Almaty DES

Previously, a video of the rescue had circulated widely in Kazakhstan, moving many viewers. In the footage, Alikhan can be seen jumping into the river without delay, not even pausing to remove his glasses or bag, to save the boy from drowning.

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