'Heroic' Girl, 10, Saves 'Unresponsive' Grandfather from Drowning in Pool — Then Calls 911

Aurora Waanounou jumped into the pool on Friday after watching her grandfather fall into the water, according to the Glynn County Police Department

Authorities in Georgia have honored a 10-year-old girl for her heroics after she helped rescue her grandfather from a local pool.

Aurora Waanounou jumped into the pool at Deer Run Villas after watching her grandfather fall into the water “and become unresponsive,” the Glynn County Police Department (GCPD) said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

The man “was face down in the water” and could not “get his head above water to breathe,” according to the post.

Aurora instructed her grandmother, who is unable to swim, not to jump in to save her grandfather, and instead went in herself. Somehow, police say the girl was "able to muster up the strength and ability to push her grandfather to the edge of the pool" so that her grandmother could help.

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The pair then managed to flip her grandfather over and get his head above water, according to the GCPD. Aurora then leaped out of the pool and called 911 herself.

“Aurora’s instinct was to fight to save her grandfather’s life and ultimately, she did just that,” the department said on Tuesday.

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On Monday, GCPD’s Interim Chief O’Neal Jackson presented Aurora with the Citizen’s Valor Award “for her acts of bravery” during Friday’s medical emergency.

“Without Aurora’s heroic, fearless, and decisive actions under extremely stressful circumstances, it’s possible that the outcome would have been different,” the department wrote on Facebook.

Aurora’s grandfather, who is now out of the hospital, was able to attend Monday’s ceremony “recognizing Aurora’s bravery.”

“It was our honor to recognize Aurora,” the department said on Facebook.

Related: 12-Year-Old Rescued After Falling Down Well During Recess When Concrete Lid ‘Partially Collapsed'

About 8,000 drowning incidents occur in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Approximately 4,000 people die from accidental drownings each year, as well.

“Drowning injuries can cause brain damage and other serious outcomes, including long-term disability,” the CDC’s website says.

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