Search Underway for Hero Who Saved Mother & Toddler from Sinking Car in Udon Thani

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

Residents of a village in Udon Thani are searching for an anonymous hero who rescued a woman and her two-year-old son moments before their car sank into a canal. The dramatic incident occurred on the evening of 19 June along the rural road connecting Ban Don Khilek and Ban Na Kham Wang in Na Kham Subdistrict, Ban Dung District.

Emergency services from the Ban Dung VR Rescue Unit were dispatched after reports came in of a vehicle plunging into a roadside waterway, with people trapped inside. By the time rescuers arrived, a passer-by, reportedly a fisherman from the area, had already pulled the mother and child from the vehicle, narrowly saving them before the car sank into the three-metre-deep canal.

The victims were immediately transported to Somdej Phra Yupparat Ban Dung Hospital by the local administrative emergency team. Meanwhile, the rescue unit later managed to recover the damaged Mitsubishi Mirage sedan from the canal using a crane. The vehicle was later returned to the family’s home in Ban Na Kham Wang.

Initial reports indicate that the driver, identified as Ms. Ta, had been taking her young son for a drive when a pickup truck coming in the opposite direction veered out of control. She swerved to avoid a collision and lost control, sending her vehicle into the canal.

Eyewitnesses described the rescue as miraculous. “Without that man, the mother and child would not have survived,” said one bystander. “He got them out just in time.”

Locals believe the unidentified rescuer is from Ban Taling Chan in Hin Ngom Subdistrict, where he had been fishing nearby at the time. However, his identity remains unknown. The story has sparked admiration and gratitude throughout the community, with many urging the mystery hero to come forward.

“I arrived after the car had already been pulled out,” said Uncle Sang, a resident of Ban Don Khilek. “There were so many people around, but I didn’t see who had helped them first.”

Reporters visiting Ban Taling Chan found no confirmed identity for the rescuer, but villagers voiced collective praise and hope that he would reveal himself. “If someone really saved a mother and child from drowning, that person deserves to be honoured,” one resident said.

As of now, the identity of the courageous individual remains a mystery, but the community hopes their local hero will soon come forward to receive the recognition he so rightfully deserves.

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Khoasod 2025-06-21