US state of Missouri
‘Alex held Asher until his mother arrived’: Teen rescues little brother from river and drowns
– For an 18-year-old, it became a death trap: the Missouri River is the longest river in the USA at more than 3,700 kilometers © George Ostertag / Imago Images
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08.08.2022, 15:11
2 min reading time
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He gave his life for that of his little brother: An 18-year-old in Missouri saved his four-year-old sibling from drowning, then he lost his strength and sank.
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A Missouri teenager is being hailed as a hero after he saved his four-year-old brother from drowning and died in the process. 18-year-old Alex Harris and his little brother Asher were swimming in the Missouri River when Asher was hit by a strong current, the children’s father, Tyson Harris, told NBC’s “Today Show” about the drama. “I heard Alex screaming for help and my wife and I ran. The water was moving so fast. I had never seen anything like it.” But by the time his wife, Nikki Harris, reached the boys, it was already too late.
“Alex held Asher down until his mother arrived and then he went under,” Tyson Harris said. And Nikki Harris reported: “I saw his hands let go and he sank. I realized how exhausted he was. I was trying so hard to get to him faster.”
The incident happened on July 23. A day later, Alex’s body was discovered in the water and recovered.
Father pays tribute to son: “You are my hero”
“My son Alex died yesterday saving his little brother from drowning,” Tyson Harris wrote on his Facebook page on July 24, alongside a photo of Alex in a black tuxedo next to a pickup truck. “If he hadn’t kept him upstairs until his mother arrived, they would both be dead now. I love you son and wish every second I could take your place. You are a hero son.”