A 17-year-old high school student from Huludao city in Northeast China's Liaoning province has been hailed a hero after diving into an icy sea to save an elderly woman, People's Daily reported on Friday.

On the morning of Feb 5, Tang Yuman was watching the sunrise by the seaside in the city when he noticed someone floating on the water's surface. Tang shouted in that direction, but there was no response. He realized the person must have fallen into the water by accident. "I did feel a little scared at that moment, but I knew I must rescue him (or her)," said Tang.

Tang took off his coat without hesitation and jumped into the water with floating ice blocks. Though he felt the piercing cold, he tried his best to reach the drowning person who he later found was the granny he had just met on the seashore moments earlier.

Tang lifted her shoulders out of the water and dragged her toward the shore.?He tried several times to push the elderly woman to the shore, but all failed, as thick and slippery ice was nearby. His body went numb from the freezing water, and he was only able to pull her to the ice. He kept himself calm and called emergency numbers for help.

While waiting for the rescue teams, Tang also treated the elderly woman with first-aid skills he learned at school, as he found she had difficulty breathing.

Just then, Sun Aimin, on a morning run, passed by them. He immediately came over to help.

They finally pulled the elderly woman to safety. They were all wet and shivering, but they hardly cared. All they wanted to do was to save the elderly woman. She was pale and her lips had turned blue, and had little vital signs of life.

As the ambulance was still on the way to the site, Tang and Sun called the medical workers and practiced an emergency treatment for the elderly woman under the guidance. After about five minutes, she began breathing again.

She was rushed to the hospital after the ambulance arrived. Thanks to the pair's timely rescue, she was out of danger.

The heroic act of Tang has also earned him the respect of many online. "This is so touching! What a brave young man!" one netizen said.