‘His spirit will live on forever’: father in China watches son, 26, drown after saving 3 people trapped in submerged car

A father in China watched as his brave 26-year-old son drowned after jumping into a river to save three people trapped in a submerged car.

Zhang Keke was driving a car to work along a river in Jiangsu province in eastern China with his father sitting alongside him on October 28.

They spotted a vehicle that had plunged into the water with three people calling for help from its roof, according to the China National Radio.

Zhang immediately pulled his car over, removed his clothing, and jumped into the water.

The father, who could not swim, called the police for help while he stood on the river bank and watched.

After Zhang jumped in, three villagers came to join him, and the four people began diving around the submerged car in search of passengers.

Zhang lifted the three passengers out of the water but succumbed to fatigue and drowned.

Seeing his son disappear under the water, Zhang’s father yelled loudly and continuously called his name until his throat went hoarse, the report said.

The local rescue team found Zhang’s body three hours later.

“His parents are still in deep mourning and cannot speak. They cannot accept this fate,” said a family relative in the report.

“Although we are also very sad, it is not surprising that he would sacrifice himself to save others. He was the type of person who was always willing to help others.”

Zhang’s heroic act touched mainland social media. At the time of writing the story had been viewed 8 million times on Douyin.

“This is a good man who touched the world. Even though he is gone, his spirit will live on forever,” said one person.

Another online observer said: “We know it is correct to save others, but I wonder if he thought about how sad and distraught his father would become while watching him drown?”

Good Samaritan stories regularly trend on social media in China.

In 2021, a man, also in Jiangsu, was seriously injured in a stabbing when he tried to subdue a man who went on a crazed rampage directed at his ex-wife.

Another man in eastern Zhejiang province saved a drowning man in July by helping him float for 20 minutes before rescuers arrived.