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15-year-old boy drowns while attempting to save classmate in river

16 Comments

A 15-year-old boy drowned while trying to help a classmate who got into difficulties in a river in Konan, Kochi Prefecture.

According to police, the incident occurred at around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Sankei Shimbun reported that seven classmates were playing at the river when one of them was swept away by a strong current. The 15-year-old dived in to help his friend but was also swept away, while his classmate made it back to the riverbank.

The boy's body was found about an hour later 900 meters downstream.

Police said the water level of the river was unusually high and the current abnormally fast because of unseasonably heavy rain over the past few weeks.

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16 Comments
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One life ends and one life is changed forever.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

a hero? but he didn't save anyone. what he did was honorable but also very foolish. people rushing to save others are often killed in the process because they don't take time to evaluate the scene carefully. tragic incident for sure.

-16 ( +7 / -23 )

I'd say a hero is someone who puts aside their own safety in order to help someone else who is in danger. Success shouldn't be a determining factor in that.

And I really dislike the trend in recent years of people overusing the word hero, often in circumstances when it's not appropriate. But this time it seems appropriate.

14 ( +17 / -4 )

May the good guy be remembered as a hero.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends!

9 ( +11 / -2 )

@Andrew: exactly. A brave boy, who deserves recognition for his courage

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Such a brave boy. I would have liked to have seen the man he would have become. My condolences to his family.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Gone too soon saving another friends life, I hope he won't be forgotten!

2 ( +4 / -2 )

What a truly selfless act. It's very sad that he didn't make it, but maybe his community learned valuable things from the experience, both in safety around bodies of water, and in paying attention to others' needs and doing your best to help those who are vulnerable.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

RIP Hero, what a brave soul!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@nakanoguy01"what he did was honorable but also very foolish"

From a viewpoint of many westerners, he would be much brave by picking up a cell phone and calling 911.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

The ultimate sacrifice. RIP to both.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Mocheake

Only the one kid drowned. The other made it. Seems to happen a lot.... : (

0 ( +0 / -0 )

There is no greater love, than he who would give his own life, for a friends.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

His parents raised a hero. RIP.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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