Near-drowning victim reunited with hero who saved him

Hendry Singh had been in hospital since the ordeal at the Umzimkhulu river mouth. He's since returned home - where his family say he's made a remarkable recovery. 

The 67-year-old was rescued by local Shannon Horn, who pulled him from the water. 

Horn says it was his late mother who lead him to the river, and put him in a position to rescue Singh. 

The 23-year-old security company employee says he was on his way to release his mother's ashes into the ocean - when he heard about Singh being in difficulty. 

"It was very scary because it wasn't our normal tide - it was a rip tide, the water was very rough. The family still can't get over it. They're thanking me a million times. But I tell them it's God. my mom saved him because we were there at the right time. Everyone forgot about the ashes; we just went to help this guy," he said. 

Horn says he immediately jumped into the water.

"My aunt helped him - CPR and stuff - tried to get the man stable, and waited for the ambulance to come, and they took it from there. I jumped in and grabbed him into my arms. I looked directly at him, and he looked back at me. At that time, I wasn't sure if he was alive," he said.

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Singh met his hero at his Port Shepstone home yesterday - where he and his family were able to thank Horn personally. 

Vashna Singh says her grandfather has been left traumatised by the incident - but the family is overjoyed to have him home after spending several days in ICU. 

She says her grandfather had been trying to wash his hands in the river, when he slipped and fell.

"It was Shannon's mom that brought him there, because really it was a miracle. And for us, we're absolutely shocked to see him walking and acting normal. When we saw him in the hospital we really thought we were going to lose him. It was traumatic, it was really traumatic," she said. 

The family has hailed Horn a hero, and say he's given Hendry a second chance at life. 

"My grandfather is talking, he's laughing - he's back to his normal self. You will never say that he almost drowned," she said.