Teenage heroes remembered in central China

WUHAN, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- People in central China's Hubei Province are showing their respect and memories in various ways for three college students who died rescuing two children from the Yangtze River on Oct. 24.

A woman lay flowers in the Jingzhou Memorial House 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)

A grand memorial service was held Wednesday in Jingzhou Memorial House to honor the trio Chen Jishi, He Dongxu and Fang Zhao, all 19-year-old students from the Yangtze University.

More than 10 students from the Yangtze University formed a ladder with one student holding another's arms to rescue the two boys in the river on the afternoon of Oct. 24.

One of the students lost his grip on his classmates and all of them were in danger. Several members of a winter swimming team nearby came to help. Chen Jishi, He Dongxu and Fang Zhao were swept away in the torrent, but others were saved.

Yangtze University based in Jingzhou City has decided to give each family of three students 500,000 yuan (73,206 U.S. dollars) to honor their children's heroic deeds.

People in Jinzhou, touched by the three teenagers' selfless act, had donated more than 1.19 million yuan to their relatives as of Thursday afternoon.

Local enterprises have expressed wishes to help build a monument in honor of the three students. Local artists have also announced a plan to build group sculptures for all the students involved in the heroic action.