A 3-YEAR-OLD boy, who had accidentally fallen into a septic tank, was saved by a middle-aged man in Guangming New Area on Saturday night, sznews.com reported yesterday.

Three children were playing in a neighborhood of the Lisonglang community at around 9 p.m. when one of them mistakenly stepped onto a board covering a septic tank and fell into it. Hearing his shouts, the other two children immediately sought help from adults nearby.

The middle-aged man, identified only by his family name Tong, was having a meal at a nearby restaurant and came after hearing shouts for help. He jumped into the septic tank without a second thought and saved the little boy with the help of another two people.

There was nothing seriously wrong with the boy, but Tong fell unconscious because of methane gas. He was rushed to a hospital and stayed in the intensive care unit.

Tong was transferred to a general ward following treatment. He said helping the boy was his obligation and he would never regret it, even if there was a chance he would lose his life.

The boy’s grandfather said that he was preparing to bathe his grandson that evening, but found that he had run down with his friends to play. To express his gratitude, the boy’s grandfather comes to the hospital and attends to Tong when he has the time. (Zhang Yu)