Brave 9-year-old boy dies trying to save his mother from drowning

The heartbroken father of a nine-year-old boy, who died while trying to save his mother from drowning, has called his brave young son a hero.

Ronaldo Alanis was involved in an accident while travelling in a car with his 31-year-old mother and seven-year-old sister, Monserat and subsequently died after making numerous attempts to free his mother from the vehicle.

According to police reports emerging from Aurora, Illinois, the family were involved in a collision with a sedan which sent their SUV into a retention pond.

In a desperate attempt to save his mother, Maria Ramirez, Ronaldo swam from safety to their submerged vehicle where his mother was still buckled into the driving seat.

According to Ronaldo's younger sister who thankfully survived the accident, her brother and mother remained underwater for a frantic thirty minutes until emergency services arrived.

Ronaldo and his mother died a day apart from each other in separate hospitals.

Opening up about his son's courageous endeavour, Abelino Alanis said: "He will be remembered like a hero in our family. God knows our feelings, and we are in his hands now. Our situation is not easy, but we know all of the Aurora community is trying to support us."

Ronaldo was a pupil of Dietrich Elementary school where his principal, Julia Doverspike, remembered the little boy as "an eager participant."

Like the rest of the devastated community of Aurora, we are thinking of the Ramirez/ Alanis family at this heartbreaking time.