A BOY of seven has been hailed a hero after saving his two-year-old brother from a deep fast-flowing river.
Kate Palmer, 31, was with her three sons throwing stones when Louis-Arthur slipped and fell in.
Kate, a strong swimmer, jumped in only to be held back by the current — before her eldest son Lucas Rowe leapt to the rescue last Sunday.
Kate told how Louis-Arthur was holding her hand when he just slipped. She said: “I dived straight in after him but I just could not get close to grab him.
“Then Lucas jumped in. He didn’t even think.” Kate managed to push Louis-Arthur, who had gone over on to his back, to Lucas, who then pulled him to the bank.
Their five-year-old brother Lawson-Kym then helped pull them out of the River Rhymney, near their home in Blackwood, South Wales.
Lucas, who turns eight on Friday, told his mum there seemed to be a “big black hole” in the river because it was so deep.
Kate said: “I was so surprised by the current. The river looked so calm.” She went on: “When we got home I burst out crying. My mam lives with us, I was like ‘I can’t believe what just happened’.”
She laughed: “Lucas is now telling everyone he is a super hero. I am so thankful that we are all OK.
“I don’t know what would have happened if he didn’t think as fast as he did.”
