A twelve-year-old saved his father’s life with his courageous intervention in the Baltic Sea off Schleswig-Holstein. The boy held the head of his unconscious father in a swimming accident near Grossenbrode, until lifeguards came to help, the police in Lübeck announced on Thursday. The 36-year-old was successfully resuscitated and taken to a hospital. There was no danger to life.

According to the officials, the father lost consciousness in the water on Wednesday afternoon, probably due to a previous illness. His son called for help but kept the 36-year-old’s head above water. Lifeguards and other beach visitors were able to pull the man out of the sea. Other visitors formed a privacy screen during the rescue operation and cleared the area for the rescue helicopter to land.