Bodies of two Saudi students who drowned in the US repatriated

The bodies of two Saudi students who drowned when they tried to rescue two children in a river in the US were repatriated to the kingdom on Sunday.

The families of Theeb Al Yami, 27, and Jaser Al Rakah, 25, were received by their families in Najran, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The cousins have been hailed as heroes for attempting to save the two children, who were struggling to stay afloat at the Chicopee River in Massachusetts.

While the children were saved, the two Saudi students, studying at universities in the US, were killed after being swept away by strong currents.

Their bodies were recovered after extensive search efforts.

The cousins were heading on a road trip when the incident occurred last Friday.

Condolences have poured in from Saudi Arabia and the US, with the US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert also praising their heroism.

“The young men drowned while courageously attempting to save children in distress,” she said in a statement.

“Their heroism represents the very best of the international students who enrich communities across the United States. Theeb and Jaser were among the 52,000 Saudi students studying in the United States who bring greater international understanding and diverse perspectives to US campuses and communities, and to Saudi Arabia when they return home,” she added.

Al Yami was in his fourth year of civil engineering at Hartford University while Al Rakah was studying civil engineering at Western University of New England.