Five men are being called heroes for their quick thinking after they ended up rescuing a man who slid toward raging water.
Arvindjeet Singh and his four friends were hiking at Golden Ears Provincial Park on Thanksgiving Monday (Oct. 11), when they spotted a man dangerously clinging to a rock and calling for help.
"His knees are bleeding and he was so cold over there," says Singh.
The man had slipped toward the water near the Lower Falls and was stuck, unable to get out safely on his own.
With no cell service in the park and a dangerous situation, the group quickly came up with a solution.
"One of my friends gave us the idea, why can’t we use our turbans and jackets to make a rope?" says Singh.
The five men took off their turbans and jackets and tied them together to make a 10-metre rope.
"We made five to seven knots because we used three to five jackets, three turbans," recalls Singh.
After testing the strength of their makeshift rope, they tied it to a tree and started their rescue mission.
"It was difficult because we had to find a place where we have to stand because the rocks are slippery... [we were] in the restricted area [when we were] pulling the guy," says Singh.
Their rope held and they were able to help the stranger to safety.
"When we pulled him up we just said, 'Don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous, we can do this, we can do this.'"
The five young men all live together in Surrey and are currently international students at colleges near Vancouver.
"We don’t see ourselves as heroes, it was just kind of an act of humanity," says Singh.
