A pastor, Felisberto Sampaio and his wife, Inalda died as heroes while making an effort to save their 13-year-old son from drowning at Camaçari Beach in Paraíba, Brazil, last Tuesday.
The teenage boy, Ian Sampaio was drowning and his parents jumped into the ocean to save him but they met their demise, according to Daily Mail.
Felisberto, 43, and Inalda, 42, spotted their son Ian going underwater at the beach during their family’s vacation.
The couple went into the ocean to rescue the boy but were unable to reach him.
Ian was then rescued by a fisherman and another family member, according to Brazilian news outlet UOL. The good Samaritans pulled the drowning parents into the boat.
Video footage showed a fireman desperately trying to save the life of Felisberto by administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while Inalda was lying on the sand unresponsive.
Both Felisberto and Inalda were declared dead at the scene by paramedics.
The couple’s oldest son, Isaac, told TV Borborema that he last saw his parents on January 8 at their home and that he planned to visit the following day.
“The thing that goes through people’s minds is that it’s a lie,” he said.
Felisberto was the pastor for 12 years at the Assembly of God Church in Quixaba, Paraíba.
The family lived in Campina Grande and were spending a couple of days in the Paraíba city of Lucena.
The couple’s tragic death was mourned by churchgoers, including Leonardo Meneses, a pastor at a church Felisberto and Inalda frequently attended.
“I know that the circumstances are painful and difficult for us to understand; only eternity will explain all the mysteries of life”, Meneses said.
