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Punjab-origin youngster dies rescuing three children swept away in Kings River in California
After jumping into river, youngster from Gurdaspur removed his turban and attempted to use it as a rope to pull out the children, who later survived
Amritsar: A 29-year-old man from Gurdaspur district of Punjab died while rescuing three children being swept away in the Kings River in California.
Manjeet Singh jumped into the river to rescue a boy and two girls who were playing in the water off Reedley Beach on Wednesday. They were swept away by a current that pushed them south under a bridge.
Seeing the trio drowning and crying for help, Manjeet jumped into the river to try to save them. “He removed his turban and attempted to use it as a rope to pull the children in but was quickly pulled under himself. He went in to try and help them and, unfortunately, went under water fairly quickly and never came back up,” reported Los Angeles Times, quoting Reedley police commander Marc Ediger.
The sacrifice of the Sikh youngster is widely being hailed in the US and India with religious, social and political leaders paying tribute on their social media handles.
According to US media reports, two children were brought to shore unharmed, but one of the girls was underwater for nearly 15 minutes. She was taken to Valley Children’s Hospital in Fresno and as of Friday remained in a critical condition and on life support.
SON OF A FARMER, HE WENT TO US TWO YEARS AGO
Manjeet was the youngest son of Gurbax Singh, a farmer and former block samiti member at Chhina village in Gurdaspur district. The family struggled to send him abroad two years ago.
“There is no bigger sacrifice than to lay down one’s life for saving others,” said Panthdeep Singh, the sarpanch of the village.
“Manjeet went to the US two years ago. He was at Fresno to learn truck driving. He had his first training session to become a truck driver on the day of the tragedy. Our entire village salutes him for his sacrifice,” the sarpanch said.
SARPANCH URGES GOVT TO HELP BRING BACK BODY
“He was kindhearted and keen to serve humanity. During the Covid-19 lockdown, he extended financial help to needy families in Dera Baba Nanak area. Besides, he sent donations for the village’s development. He would ask us not to disclose his name as donor,” Panthdeep Singh said.
The sarpanch urged the government to help bring back his body to India so that his family could see their brave son one last time and perform the last rites. “It is as much an honour as being killed at war,” he said.
