Man in his 50s falls into Namhang waters in Busan's Seo-gu

Rescuers pull a man in his 50s from the water off Geumyang Ice in Seo-gu, Busan, near the Namhang substation of the maritime police, Monday morning. [Busan Maritime Police]
Rescuers pull a man in his 50s from the water off Geumyang Ice in Seo-gu, Busan, near the Namhang substation of the maritime police, Monday morning. [Busan Maritime Police]

A man in his 50s fell into the waters of Busan's Namhang harbor and lost consciousness, but was rescued with the help of a Jagalchi Market worker who jumped in after him.

According to the Busan Maritime Police, the man, identified only by his surname initial A, fell into the sea off Geumyang Ice near the Namhang maritime police substation in Seo-gu at around 8:53 a.m. Monday.

A Jagalchi Market worker in his 50s, identified as B, spotted the man lying half-draped over the edge of the dock in front of Geumyang Ice.

B asked a passing pedestrian to call for help, then put on a nearby life jacket and jumped into the water himself when A fell in.

When maritime police arrived, they found B holding A afloat in the water. Both men were brought aboard a coastal rescue vessel and transferred to shore.

A was breathing but unconscious at the time of the rescue. He received emergency treatment on the rescue vessel and regained consciousness while fire department paramedics administered further first aid on land.

"It appears A fell into the water by accident while sleeping on the dock in an intoxicated state," a maritime police official said, adding that authorities plan to investigate the exact circumstances of the incident. The official said maritime police also intend to formally express gratitude to B for his role in the rescue.


jshan@heraldcorp.com