Good Samaritan dies while trying to save three children from drowning in California river

A 29-year-old man is dead after jumping into a California river to rescue three children who were swept away in the water.

Two eight-year-old girls and a 10-year-old boy were playing in the Kings River Wednesday when they were pulled under a bridge by the current, Reedley Police Department commander Mark Ediger told CNN.

Manjeet Singh was standing on the bank when he saw the kids struggling and decided to jump in at the bridge to save them.

“He didn’t know them, but just saw them needing help so he jumped in,” said Ediger.

According to police, Singh was pulled underwater shortly after jumping in.

Luckily, other bystanders were able to pull two of the children out to safety. One of the eight-year-old girls was underwater for about 15 minutes before she was pulled out, according to Ediger. CPR was performed on the girl and she was rushed to the hospital.

Meanwhile the search for the good Samaritan continued.

After 40 minutes, Singh was found underwater and unresponsive. He was pulled out and transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, Ediger said.

The eight-year-old girl is in critical critical condition on life support at Valley Children’s Hospital in Fresno. The other two children were unharmed.