Soldier dies trying to save drowning man

Showing exemplary courage, a soldier posted in Jammu and Kashmir pulled out a man from a fast flowing canal while on a holiday in Karnataka but drowned while saving a second person.

Rakesh Kumar, from Karnataka, was posted with the Rashtriya Rifles in Jammu and Kashmir and was on leave when the incident took place, the army said in a statement on Monday.

It said Kumar had a bath in the canal in Shikaripura village and was talking to a friend when they heard shouts for help from two men who had apparently slipped into and were drowning in the canal.

"Without a second thought, (the soldier) jumped into the canal to save the two men, Raju and Sudharshan," the statement said, without mentioning on which day it happened.

"After heroic efforts against the fast flowing current, he rescued Raju and brought him to the bank.

"Although tired, he again took a plunge into the canal water to rescue the other person. However, he could not rescue Sudarshan and both died due to drowning."

The soldier is survived by his wife and a two-year child. "This rare act of bravery was narrated by Raju, the man rescued by Kumar to police."