A drowned teenager died a hero after rescuing his brother from a river, an inquest heard.
Anas El-Rafai, 15, and brother Jamal, 13, were swimming with friends at a local beauty spot on the River Tees in August.
When Jamal hit trouble, Anas pushed him to safety but was then swept away.
Heavy rain meant the water was high and the undercurrent strong, the inquest heard.
Coroner James Thompson said Anas had acted “selflessly” and his actions should be commended.
He said: “Anas had a few seconds to think and simply acted.”
Mr Thompson ruled Anas had accidentally drowned.
He added that the tragedy at Broken Scar, near the teens’ home in Darlington, County Durham, “reinforced the dangers of playing in rivers and in open water”.
Anas’s family fled the civil war in Syria in 2011, going to Lebanon before moving to the UK in 2018.
Speaking at the time of the tragedy, his best friend Mohammad El Mgharbel, 17, said: “It seemed as though they were hit by a current. What he did was very brave.”
Anas’ older brother Mohammed added: “He was not a good swimmer.
"He was not thinking he could die, just he wanted to help.”
