Toddler's heroic act saves sister 'drowning' in pool: 'Didn't hear'
WARNING – DISTRESSING CONTENT: Dramatic video has captured the moment a hero toddler saved her little sister from drowning in a swimming pool.
Kana Kanuengnit, 3, and two-year-old Kaning were walking around the yard while playing with inflatable rubber rings at the family home in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, when the accident happened last Friday.
Their father, 29-year-old Apisit, was watching the pair but as he turns his back for a moment to sweep up leaves, Kaning slips into the 1.2-metre deep pool.
CCTV footage shows her flailing as she swallows mouthfuls of water before sinking below the surface.
Little Kana sees what is happening and calls out to her dad before bounding over to get his attention.
Apisit then quickly plunges into the water to pull the drowning toddler to safety.
"I was sweeping near the pool and my wife was cooking in the kitchen behind the house," he said.
"We weren't planning for any pool activities so I didn't notice what was happening. But after a moment of me sweeping with my back to the pool, my younger daughter fell into the pool.
"I didn't hear anything. It is partly my mistake for being careless but luckily I have a little hero – my eldest daughter."
The father said his eldest daughter called out to him, saying Kaning had fallen into the pool.
When he turned around, the toddler was "already drowning".
"I didn't know what to do, I forgot to think about my phone and things in my pocket. I threw it all and just jumped in the pool," Apisit, who runs a clothing business, said.
"The whole pool is 4ft-deep (1.2 metres deep). They don’t know how to swim but they are in the water often so they know a little bit."
The father hopes the video will be a warning to other parents to take care while their children are near pools.
"I think this is a great example to remind people that you cannot take your eyes off even for a split second when there are children and water," he said.
"I want to stress this to parents with small kids and a pool to put up a barrier around the pool if not, they should always be careful."
– Australscope
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