JEDDAH: A Saudi man has gone viral over the weekend when a video of him rescuing a boy from drowning in Asir circulated across social media. Ahad Tharban, located northwest of Asir, has been experiencing heavy torrential rains recently, with the authorities urging residents to keep away from dangerous areas. Amer Al-Shehri risked his own life without a second’s thought to save the young boy as he was being swept away into a raging river due to the heavy downpour. The video showed Al-Shehri and a group of men running alongside the river bank in an attempt to save the boy who was struggling to keep his head above the water. Suddenly, he jumped and grabbed the boy before the other men recovered them. Al-Shehri told Arab News that he noticed the heavy rain after leaving Friday prayers and saw the boy fall off the side of the valley near the mosque into the raging river. “I knew the child was in danger from the moment I saw him in the stream.” He said that a few other people also fell but were able to make it out quickly, but the boy was swept into the tide. But Al-Shehri — who cannot swim — selflessly jumped after him.HIGHLIGHT Amer Al-Shehri risked his own life without a second’s thought to save the young boy as he was being swept away into a raging river due to the heavy downpour. “I didn’t think about this at all,” he said, adding: “All I could think of was I need to get the boy out of there right now.” He said: “I advise everyone who is near the valley with their family and children to stay far away from the valley.” Viewers in awe of his bravery tweeted with the Arabic hashtag for “The hero Amer Al-Shehri.”  @writerdepth wrote: “What a hero. He deserves to be awarded.” @m1sadi said: “He deserves a medal.” As a sign of gratitude, Abdullah Alajlani, a Saudi businessman, offered to grant the hero a SR10,000 ($2,667) reward, with another offering to match the same amount. Al-Shehri @G_7_O thanked people for their appreciation: “Thank you for your kindness and I thank God first and foremost for his grace and generosity for enabling me to save the child.” ‘I advise everyone who is near the valley with their family and children to stay far away from the valley.’ Amer Al-Shehri @2009_slman said Al-Shehri is an example of bravery that deserves to be shared on all media platforms: “As a Saudi citizen, I’m so proud of you and I shared your clip everywhere.” Showing gratitude for his selfless act @A000d_ said: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart, our brave hero Amer Al-Shehri.” @dgm7700 said: “May Allah protect you. Bravery only appears in such situations.”