Boy swept across wash
LOS ANGELES “”mdash; A 17-year-old boy trying to wade across a
rain-swollen wash was swept more than a mile downstream before
firefighters rescued him, officials said.
The teenager was hospitalized in fair condition after
Saturday’s rescue, city Fire Department spokesman Brian
Humphrey said. The boy, whose identity was not released, was said
to be an area resident.
Officials said after leaving a swap meet he tried to wade across
a Pacoima flood channel filled with swift-moving waters from recent
storms.
People nearby heard his screams and alerted authorities.
Nearly 100 firefighters raced downstream to try to intercept the
boy, and one rescuer eventually lowered himself 12 feet down a rope
to snatch him from the water.
Hypothermia already was setting in as paramedics rushed the boy
to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, Humphrey
said.
Refugee boat to tour U.S.
WESTMINSTER “”mdash; A boat used by refugees to escape Vietnam
will embark on a two-year tour across the United States.
The Freedom Boat Tour will commemorate 30 years of contributions
by the Vietnamese community in the United States and help educate
the next generation of Vietnamese-Americans, said Madalenna Lai,
president of the Vietnamese Cultural House.
“˜”˜We have to look at our past to build our
future,” she said. “˜”˜You must learn from
history to make our country better.”
The 33-foot-long wooden boat will travel the nation hitched to a
big-rig. Thirty-six states have invited the tour to visit. The
Philippines government in 2001 donated the boat, which was found in
1981 off the shore of Mabayo Beach in the Philippines with 15
Vietnamese starving and dehydrated refugees inside.
Compiled from Bruin wire services.