The local who saved a teenage boy from drowning in the southernmost Atoll Addu's Hithadhoo island on Saturday was a man special needs.
Three teenage boys were out swimming when they were caught in a strong current. Hassan Didi - a mute was alerted to the cries for help by two women who were at the beach at the time. Didi had immediately jumped in but had only managed to save one of the boys while the other two were swept away to sea.
"The women had called others for help. A short-while later the coastguard came and started the search for the missing boys. We had really bad weather with strong waves. Only one of the boys got caught in the current at first. The other two went to help," a local resident told AVAS.
Coastguard has now launched an aerial search for the missing boys but they are yet to be found. The teen who was rescued by Didi continues to be treated at the Hithadhoo regional hospital. Coastguard divers are also searching for the missing two teens since Saturday afternoon.
