Thane: Two fire brigade personnels rescued a boy stranded in a swollen Ulhas river in the district amid heavy rain last night.
The boy, hailing from Mohapada-Erandel village near Badlapur, fell into the water and was swept away.
He managed to catch a branch of a tree which was half-submerged in water, and clung to it for over three hours, shouting for help, said R B Patil, chief fire officer of Kulgaon-Badlapur municipal council.
Some people living along the river banks heard his cries at around 11 pm and alerted the police.
Two fire brigade personnel located him in the darkness and tried to reach him in a boat, but it kept drifting because of a strong current.
Firemen Ajit V Gurav (39) and Suryakant Khade (50) however didn't give up and kept rowing and managed to reach the boy after one-and-a-half hours.
The boy was finally rescued at around 2 am today, Patil said.
The two firemen would be recommended for a suitable reward, he said.
