A Bangladeshi man has garnered much attention in the UK after he saved a choking man’s life by performing the Heimlich maneuver.
Sheakh Nazmul Hasan Rifat, 24, who works as a waiter at a restaurant in Wales, immediately took action when he realized one of the customers at the restaurant was choking, reports the BBC.
The customer Jake Snelling had gone there for lunch with his friends, who at first did not realize the severity of the situation when Jake began to choke. They thought all he had was a case of indigestion, but Rifat immediately realized the gravity of the situation and sprang into action to help him.
CCTV footage shows Rifat helping him stand on his feet before performing the Heimlich manoeuvre, also known as abdominal thrusts, thus helping to dislodge the food he was choking on, the report furthered.
"I saw something is wrong, I saw Jake suffering with something so I realized he's maybe choking," said Rifat.
The people in the restaurant all broke into applause once Rifat managed to save Snelling.
Snelling, too, was extremely grateful and expressed the same when the duo was later interviewed by BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.
"I guess I didn't chew properly, I don't know, something just got stuck.
"I did know as soon as it happened, I couldn't breathe at all. I think my friends just didn't quite understand the severity of the situation,” he recalled.
Speaking about his gratitude towards the young Bangladeshi, Snelling said: “"Just thank you, I really couldn't say it enough at the time."
He added that Rifat was even reluctant to accept the tip Snelling left him.
Rifat explained that, in his childhood, his father had similarly saved him from choking by using the Heimlich maneuver, so he instinctively knew what to do when he saw Jake struggling.
He said it was “one of the best moments” of his entire life, to see that Snelling was breathing and fine.