[Observer Network Comprehensive Report] Kerala, India, suffered a "once in a hundred years" flood. Since the end of May and the beginning of June, the number of victims has exceeded 300, and tens of thousands of people have been displaced.
In the face of this cruel flood, a group of fishermen spontaneously joined the rescue team. Although most people welcomed the fishermen heroically, some people exposed the discrimination between caste and religion.
According to a report by CNN on the 21st, these fishermen loaded their boats on trucks and went to towns and villages in Kerala with a water depth of more than 3m to rescue people who climbed tall buildings and waited for help.
Indian fishermen transport victims by boat. Photo from "India Today"
Marion George, a 47-year-old fisherman, participated in the rescue in Quilon last Friday, and 17 people in one family were trapped.
When he told the family that he had come to help them, the other party asked his religious belief, "Isn’t this a Christian ship?"
After George identified himself as a Christian, the family from Brahman, the highest caste in Hinduism, refused to board the boat.. According to the report,Although they were desperate in the face of the flood, they waved to George to leave and refused to go near him.
Five hours later, George returned to the block and saw the family calling for help just now.
When he docked the boat to prepare for rescue, the group told him again,Only when George doesn’t have physical contact with them, do they want to get on the boat.
Christian fisherman George from CNN
“Usually, that’s their attitude, and we thought they would change in this case., "said George.
According to George’s estimation, he rescued 150 people in two days until his ship was damaged beyond rescue.
CNN interviewed several other fishermen who participated in the rescue. They also said that when they wanted to help, some victims insulted them or didn’t trust them at all.
Fisherman Arun Michael saw the disaster on the news last Wednesday, and the next morning he took his boat with three others to the disaster area. They evacuated more than 1,500 people in three days.
Fisherman Michael and his daughter from CNN
Among them, some victims asked them to bring their dogs on board first, and then go up by themselves. Others refused to leave their homes. "They are arrogant and just want us to give them food."
Others refused to help because they were worried that their property would be looted after leaving home.
Despite this, Michael insisted on saving people. "Anyone may encounter a flood. If something happens in the future, we hope we can get help."
According to the Kerala government,More than 2,800 fishermen participated in the rescue work. The government has announced that it will pay each fisherman 3,000 rupees (about 294 yuan) as compensation for the damage of his ship.