On Wednesday, two Saudi men studying in the United States accidentally drowned as they tried to help two children who were having trouble staying afloat in the Chicopee River of Massachusetts.
Relatives of the two civil engineering students, identified as Theeb Alyami, 27, and Jaser Daham Alrakah, 25 told Al Arabiya that their graduation was due to take place in a matter of weeks.
The spokesman for the regional District Attorney's Office, Jim Leydon, said Alyami and Alrakah were two of several adults who ventured into the water to help the children in distress. They were eventually overtaken by the strong current and did not appear to resurface.
The bodies of the students were later found after an extensive search. One of the victims was recovered on Friday evening while the other was located on Monday morning.
Before their tragic death, Alyami and Alrakah planned to return to Saudi Arabia after their official graduation ceremony as they hadn't seen their families in three years.
According to Al Arabiya, the families of the deceased are still waiting for their bodies to arrive in the Najran region of the country.
They also said that despite their loss, they found consolation in the fact that their children died as martyrs and heroes as they drowned while attempting to save other children.