Two men form human bridge to rescue 35 children in flood-hit Punjab village

Srinagar, July 25: Two men from Punjab’s Moga district heelped rescue 35 schoolchildren after a road collapsed due to heavy rainfall and flooding. Using a makeshift method that villagers have hailed as a prime example of local jugaad (creative improvisation), the men formed a human bridge to help the stranded children cross to safety.

The incident occurred in Malleyan village, where torrential rain caused fields to flood and part of the main road to cave in. Earlier that morning, a holiday had been declared at a local school due to worsening weather. As students made their way home, news spread—via a loudspeaker announcement from the Gurudwara—that a portion of the road had collapsed, and around 35 children were stranded on the other side, unable to cross the fast-flowing, waist-deep water.

Sukhbinder Singh and Gagandeep Singh, two villagers stepped forward. A video from the scene shows that the gap between the road’s broken ends was at least five feet wide, with floodwater gushing through it. Realizing there was no time to wait for formal help, the duo quickly came up with a daring plan—forming a human bridge.

Balancing themselves in the raging water, one of them lay across the gap, acting as a plank while the other helped the children climb over, one by one. This act allowed all 35 children, along with at least 10 other villagers, to safely reach the other side.
The panchayat member said it is unfortunate that till now neither the Ludhiana district administration nor the Rasulpur Gram Panchayat has taken any initiative to repair the road which connects Malleyan and Rasulpur villages and is the only route for people to go to work and for children to go to school.

The village panchayat has now formally honoured both men for their bravery and quick thinking, celebrating their heroic deed as a symbol of community strength and unity in the face of crisis.