Heroes who died in fight against floods

Village official safeguards the lives of fellow townsmen

Tie Keyan was an official of Yanji village in Huaiyuan county, Anhui province. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage after falling during a patrol duty on an embankment.

Every day, the 38-year-old patrolled the 2.5-kilometer-long dyke along the Wohe River, a tributary of the Huaihe River. He walked more than 30 km in a single day during the flood season.

When not on patrol duty, Tie visited the households of the village one by one, learning about their difficulties and demands in terms of flood prevention.

His father Tie Guangping said before the man lost his life, he was so tired after patrolling days and nights that he fell asleep on a slope on the dyke.

Tie was known among the 1,300 fellow villagers as a man ready to lend a helping hand to those in need.

Zhang Jiyong, Party chief of the village, said: "Tie always put the people's interests first, and was warm to and responsible for the people, solving the difficulties of others as if they were his own problems."