Trump sends condolences to families of Saudi students who drowned trying to rescue kids, embassy says

Jaser al-Rakah, left, and Theeb al-Yami drowned Massachusetts' Chicopee River after trying to rescue the children in June. (Facebook)

President Trump sent condolence cables to the families of two college students from Saudi Arabia who drowned in June while trying to rescue two young children from a Massachusetts river, the Saudi embassy in Washington confirmed Monday night.

Theeb al-Yami, 27, and Jaser al-Rakah, 25, jumped into the Chicopee River on June 29 as the children were struggling with the current. According to witnesses, the two students were overcome by the current themselves and swept away.

According to MassLive, the body of one of the students was recovered later that day. The other student's body was recovered near a dam on July 2. The children were rushed to a nearby hospital and discharged that evening.

(The cables sent to al-Yami and al-Rakah's families.)

Both al-Yami and al-Rakah had come to the U.S. to study engineering at local universities. Al-Yami attended the University of Hartford in Connecticut, while al-Rakah attended Western New England University in Springfield, Mass.

In each of the Aug. 9 cables, Trump said that both men had "exemplified tremendous courage by putting[their] own life at risk ... [Their] heroism represents the very best of humanity, and [their] noble actions will always be remembered."

"Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to you during this sorrowful time," the cables concluded. "May you find strength in the inspiring legacy of [Theeb and Jaser's] selfless sacrifice."

The cables were first reported by Al-Arabiya.

Fox News' Rich Edson contributed to this report.