When a quarter of the country is submerged every monsoon season, flooding in Bangladesh is almost routine. But in July 2015, a flooded inland village called eight beach lifeguards far beyond their ordinary duties. SeaSafe Senior Lifeguard Kamrul Hasan shares his memories of an extraordinary rescue 

That morning I was working on Shugunda Beach in Cox’s Bazar, and it was raining very hard. A man came up to us and said he needed help in Ramu – his family’s home was under the floodwater and they’d been trapped for 2 days. I called our supervisor Rashed, and eight of us lifeguards decided to take a rescue board and two inflatable boats, to see if we could rescue them. A long, uncertain wait We got to Ramu and families sheltering in the cyclone centre told us where to find the people who’d been stuck for days without food.
I remember from the road to the houses was quite far, and there was so much fast-flowing water in between. First I went with my rescue board to check the homes and ask people if they wanted to come with me. Families were sitting on their rooftops asking for help.
I felt confident that we could rescue them and they wanted to reach shelter, but they were afraid to leave the house. The training kicks in. We knew that if we took an inflatable boat, the current between the road and the houses would carry it away. So we found some rope to run from one tree on the road to a tree near the houses – this gave us something to hold so we could recue people safely by boat. Not long ago two RNLI flood rescue trainers, Dave and Bernie, had shown us how to use the rope in this way, to communicate with people during floods and carry them safely by boat. So we just had the knowledge by training, and that gave us the idea. We should have been tired because it was Ramadan, so two other lifeguards and I were fasting. But there is a moment’s change when you’re helping people, you don’t feel it until afterwards. Fast reactions and lives saved I remember a woman who was heavily pregnant and afraid to go outside. The boat couldn’t reach the house because of the trees. I took the rescue board, paddled into the house and brought her out to the boat. Lying down, she couldn’t see what was happening. I reassured her: ‘You’re in a boat now, you can go to the cyclone centre.’ And I still see one family in my mind – a grandma, mother, father and two sons who are walking on the road. The water is up to their chests, very deep. The water is so strong-moving, and they are walking against the current. There’s nothing for them to hold except a wall and each other’s hands. We are at another house when we see them, so we call to them to stay there, we’re coming. One woman is very tired and she lets go of her hand and she’s pulled away by the water. Thankfully, Lifeguard Abdulla quickly paddles the board, catches her an  takes her to shallow water. Time to reflect If we had not rescued them, there may have been accidents. People would have tried to go out to buy food and got caught in the current. I feel very proud that we could help, but I was also sad to see them like that. I came back home and went to bed early, and I was dreaming about all this, that I was still helping them. I couldn’t
sleep well, thinking about it and what we have done for them. We feel grateful and proud that this rescue received an award, because
it’s the first RNLI award for us and in Bangladesh as well. It shows everyone what we can do – we can rescue anywhere.

The RNLI and SeaSafe
Cox’s Bazar has benefited from a lifeguard service since 2012, thanks to a partnership between the RNLI and the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh. Since then we’ve been supporting the team with advice, training and developing low-cost rescue equipment. Already they’ve saved hundreds of lives. Ultimately, we’re sharing skills that will help them become a self-sustaining rescue service.

Words: Kamrul Hasan, Philly Byrde
Interview: Darren Williams
Photos: CIPRB/SeaSafe, RNLI/Harrison Bates