TEHRAN (MNA) – National hero Riz Ali Khajavi (also known as Self-Sacrificing Shepperd) who saved the lives of passengers of a train in 1962 when a landslide brought down rocks from overlooking mountain on a railroad, has died at 86.
Known as a national hero whose story of self-sacrifice is being taught in Iranian schools, Riz Ali Khajavi was admitted to Imam Reza Hospital due to a severe pulmonary complication 20 days ago and died later on Saturday at 86.
Iranians know him since school days in their books, as the devoted hero who took off his coat in freezing weather, tied it to a stick and set it on fire while running toward a high-speed train screaming danger to draw the train driver’s attention due to the landslide brought down rocks landslide brought down on a railroad from overlooking mountain. The driver managed to stop the train and crash was averted.