An incident unfolded at a waterfall in India, and was captured in a video that went viral.
The footage shows a red Honda Brio perched atop a 15-foot cliff above a pond near the city of Indore. Inside the vehicle was 12-year-old Zaunak Ali, who was in the midst of changing her clothes to go swimming.
Her father, Tayyab Ali, 40, is seen struggling to open the car door, attempting to halt the vehicle’s backward roll.
The car went over the cliff’s edge, with Tayyab Ali, who couldn’t swim, following. The video captures him in the water with his daughter’s cries in the background. Nearby picnickers, initially frozen by shock, sprang into action, diving in to rescue the two from the waters.
“I’m a strong swimmer, so I immediately jumped in,” recounted Sumit Mathew, a 26-year-old mechanical engineer who was among the first responders. He rescued Tayab Ali first and planned to come back to save the girl. Others reached Zaunak and brought her ashore.
Remarkably, both father and daughter escaped serious harm, sustaining only minor injuries for which they received medical attention. An investigation by the police revealed that the accident occurred due to negligent parking on the cliff’s edge, exacerbated by the car’s unengaged handbrake.
“The car began its descent after the trunk was forcefully shut, leading to its plunge into the waterfall’s pool,” shared police official Mansharam Baghel.
Tayyab Ali reportedly explained that the handbrake had accidentally disengaged.
