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A 13-year-old Chilean boy named Erik thought his time was up when he found himself ensnared in the powerful suction of a filtration system at a swimming pool in Talagante, with the two on-duty lifeguards nowhere to be seen.
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But Erik's 12-year-old cousin, Kevin, who has been hailed a national hero, saved the day last Friday when he dived into the water and wrenched the drowning boy to safety by pushing away from the system using all the power he could muster in his legs.
After being taken to hospital, where doctors ruled out neurological injuries or other major damage, Erik emerged with only a bloody nose and some minor head wounds, Chile Vision reports.
Kevin's heroic act has won him national praise, although the young boy now claims he never wants to jump into a swimming pool ever again.
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