Death of Chinese teen who died trying to save drowning girl that turned out to be someone’s pet dog sparks bravery debate

The ‘sister’ turned out to be a girl’s pet dog and the boy – who could not swim – was swept to his death

The tragedy has rekindled memories of Lai Ning, 14, who died helping firefighters in 1988 and was made a national hero

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A teenager died in China trying to save a dog that he thought was a drowning person. Photo: Dayoo.com

Published: 4:00pm, 24 Jun 2022

The death of a Chinese teenager who died trying to save a drowning victim that turned out to be a dog has reignited a public debate on the cost of being the Good Samaritan.

Rescuers retrieved the body of a 16-year-old boy from a river in Chengdu in southwestern China’s Sichuan province on Wednesday, two days after he disappeared in an attempt to save a dog that was initially thought to be a girl, local media reported.

The unnamed adolescent could not swim, his father told Jimu News. An only child, he was 190cm tall and described as “outgoing and kind-hearted”.

A witness said a girl shouted “help, save my sister”, by which she meant her pet dog, when the young man was playing basketball nearby on Monday. But a few others said the girl made it clear it was a dog that was drowning when asking for help from him.

He disappeared soon after diving into the water and his body was found 1.5km downstream after a two-day search.

The teenager’s death rekindled memories of a boy in 1988 who died putting out forest fires. Photo: Dayoo.com

The tragedy triggered a heated discussion on Chinese social media over the danger of displaying too much bravery and rekindled memories of the story of 14-year-old Lai Ning, a national hero from three decades ago.