A 29-year-old Sikh man died after he jumped into a river to rescue three children who had been swept away in California, according to media reports.

Manjeet Singh was visiting Reedley Beach on Wednesday evening near his home in Fresno County when he saw the three children struggling in the Kings river, the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday.

Two eight-year-old girls and a 10-year-old boy were playing in the river when they were pulled under a bridge by the current, CNN quoted Reedley police department commander Mark Ediger as saying.

Singh, who was at the river with his brother-in-law and other friends, removed his turban and tried to use it as a rope to pull the children out. “He went in to try and help them and, unfortunately, went underwater fairly quickly and never came back up,” Ediger said.

Singh was found unresponsive downriver 40 minutes later. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Other bystanders were able to pull two of the children out to safety.