Teenage heroes mourned in central China

WUHAN, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- A grand memorial service was held Wednesday in central Hubei Province to honor three college students who died rescuing two children from the Yangtze River on Oct. 24.

Students hold white chrysanthemum during a funeral to mourn for three college students in Jingzhou, a city of central China's Hubei Province, Oct. 28, 2009. A grand memorial service was held here Wednesday to honor three college students, Chen Jishi, He Dongxu and Fang Zhao, who died when rescuing two children from the Yangtze River on Oct. 24. Thousands of people took part in the funeral to see off the three teenagers, all 19-year-old students from the Yangtze University based in Jingzhou City. (Xinhua/Wei Mengjia)

Thousands of people holding chrysanthemum flowers went to the Jingzhou Memorial House to see off the teenagers, all 19-year-old students from the Yangtze University based in Jingzhou City.

The trio were Chen Jishi, He Dongxu and Fang Zhao.

State Councilor Liu Yandong, Hubei Provincial Party secretary Luo Qingquan and Provincial Governor Li Hongzhong sent their wreaths to the ceremony.

"The three heroes gave life to others and risked death themselves," said Zhang Zhongjia, Communist Party secretary of the Yangtze University. "They are the pride of their parents, elites of the nation and models of the time."

People touched by their selfless act had donated more than 500,000 yuan (73,206 U.S. dollars) to their relatives as of Wednesday, Zhang said.