Hero teacher honored for saving 2 drowning kids

A primary school teacher in Chongqing who sacrificed his life to save two drowning children in a Yangtze River torrent, was posthumously named a Chongqing Good Man by the municipal government.

The incident occurred near Wanfa Pier of the Yangtze River in the Dadukou district of Chongqing at 6:09 pm on Tuesday. Two children, a girl and a boy, were drowning.

Wang Hongxu, 35, a physical education teacher at Yucai Primary School in the district was taking his 3-year-old son for a walk nearby. He sprinted toward the drowning children and plunged into the water as he heard their cries for help at a crucial moment. With the help of more than 10 other people who held hands in the water in a rescue chain, an exhausted Wang, who was on the outermost side, saved both children but was unable to save himself. He was swept away by the torrent.

Police officers soon arrived on scene for an emergency search and rescue. Wang was found dead in nearby waters the next day.

A witness, Wang Xiancai said Wang Hongxu might have been able to make it back to shore if he had halted the rescue effort after having saved the first child, the girl, but he insisted trying to lift the boy out of the water also and soon disappeared.