A seven-year-old boy in Florida swam for an hour to get help for his father and sister who were stranded in a river

(CNN) – A 7-year-old boy from Florida has become a hero after swimming to shore for help when his sister and father were swept away.Steven Poust told CNN affiliate WKXT, who docked his boat in the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, for his two children, Chase, 7, and Abigail, 4, to swim on Friday.

Suddenly, Abigail, who usually stays in the back of the boat, had to get loose because the current was too strong, Chase said.

The 7-year-old decided to get loose as well to try to prevent him from adrift, but then he got stuck.

Poust dove to try to help them and told Chase to swim to shore while he tried to catch up with his daughter, who was wearing a life jacket.

“I told him I loved him because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” Poust said. I tried to keep both of them. I was exhausted. She walked away from me.

Chase took an hour to reach shore. He told WKXT that he floated on his back and splashed so as not to wear out. When he reached land, he ran to the nearest house to ask for help.

Meanwhile, his father and sister drifted between 2 and 3 kilometers from the place where the boat was located, according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD).

JFRD reached the vessel but had to call other agencies to broaden the search, spokesman Eric Prosswimmer said. at a press conference.

If it weren’t for the help of his colleagues, the result might have been different, Prosswimmer said.

“We had all possible resources to come quickly and we are happy to say that all three were recovered, and all three are doing well,” he said. “We couldn’t ask for a better result.”