He sacrificed his life to save his son.
A heroic father tragically died this week while saving his son from drowning in “monstrous” waves off the coast of Brazil.
The shocking incident happened on Saturday, December 3, when 36-year-old Danilo Torrano Rios was on vacation with his wife, 10-year-old son and some friends at Guarajuba Beach in the state of Bahia, Jam Press reported. . The Goiás-born financial advisor has visited the area many times and has shared photos of his past excursions on social media.
Rios and the others were reportedly out to sea at 5:30 p.m., after the rescuers had left for the day when the disaster struck and rough weather made the water choppy. This change has reportedly drawn tourists away from the coast.
The group decided to return to the beach to avoid being swept out to sea, but Rios noticed his son swimming in the waves and tried to help him. According to witnesses, the father of two children grabbed his son, but when he realized that they were both being pulled out by the strong current, he let go. This was reported by the local mass media.
Fortunately, the boy and the others made it back to shore, but Rios was nowhere to be seen. Before it was swept away, bystanders threw a float to the endangered tourist, but it did not reach him.
Rios’ friends and family feared the worst and contacted emergency services, who launched a rescue mission. Authorities confirmed that the victim’s body was found on the morning of Monday, December 5.
Following the tragedy, the National Civil Defense warned the public to never “attempt to rescue a drowning person unless he is ready” and to contact emergency services as soon as possible.
The investigation into Rios’ death is ongoing.