The eldest son of a woman filmed falling into floodwater while carrying her youngest child has criticised those who ridiculed her after the video went viral.

Karl Cauchi said the footage was a testimony to the strength of his mother, who placed her children above everything else.

His mother was filmed leaving her car in floodwater in Gzira on Monday and wading through the waters, carrying her seven-year-old son.

However she falls into the water with the child, who then starts to cry. 

The video was widely shared on social media with some commenting on the floodwater and others finding the fall amusing. 

It was shot by someone in a Gzira building overlooking the main road. 

Karl, 21, was in Italy, where he is studying, when his 16-year-old brother sent him the video. “When I saw the video I was disappointed,” Karl told Times of Malta.

He explained that his mother had gone to pick up his brother from school and was on her way home when her car stalled. He was disappointed because some people were laughing at what happened. He felt to urge to defend his mother.

So, he took to social media to get his message across and wrote: “Ma, today I saw people trying to ridicule you. Only those who really need to know actually know – what a big heart you have and how you sacrifice your needs for us, your children…”

He described her as a problem-solver who took initiative when others just stood watching, a person who did not judge others, a strong person who empathized with others.  

What happened in the Gzira road was a reflection of all this, he said adding: “We live in an artificial world… a world of likes, views…. A world that does not understand what love is all about.”