Driver Stranded on Truck Roof Rescued From Raging River

A police officer and local residents pulled a man to safety after a fast-flowing river swept his vehicle away in eastern El Salvador.

Footage released by El Salvador’s National Civil Police shows the man standing on the roof of his red pickup, half submerged in muddy, churning water beside a stone wall, as the officer and a resident hold a rope, before helpers on a rooftop above haul him up to safety.

The police said the rescue happened on the afternoon of October 17 in the Las Delicias neighborhood of Corinto, in northern Morazán department, when the current dragged the 38-year-old man in his vehicle. The officer was assisted by people living in the area, the force said.

“With these actions we show that we are here to serve and help those who need it,” the National Civil Police said.

Heavy afternoon rain and thunderstorms hit much of El Salvador that day, causing flooding in La Libertad, San Vicente and Morazán, where a market in the department capital of San Francisco Gotera was inundated. In San Vicente, rescuers evacuated a family after a river burst its banks. The Environment Ministry said the storms were driven by the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a low-pressure system and a frontal system over the Gulf of Mexico.