An 18-year-old man and a 42-year-old man drowned in a river in Kamikatsu, Tokushima Prefecture, on Saturday after they jumped in to try and save a teenager who was in trouble.

According to police, the two were associated with a support facility for disabled children in the prefecture, NHK reported. The 42-year-old man was a staff member at the facility, and the 18-year-old man was a former user of the facility.

About 10 people, including staff and facility users, had come to a campsite beside the Katsuura River for an event. Just before 2 p.m., a teenage boy of the group apparently got into difficulties in the river and the two men tried to help but a current swept them away. Another member of the group called 119.

When the police and fire department personnel arrived, the two men were found unresponsive and taken to hospital. Both were confirmed dead about two hours later.

The teenager who got into difficulty was rescued.

© Japan Today