Shavarsh Karapetyan, a retired Armenian swimmer, had an incredible experience in 1976.



Shavarsh Karapetyan, a retired Armenian swimmer, had an incredible experience in 1976. After finishing a 26 km (16 mile) run, he heard a loud noise and found out that a trolleybus had crashed into a reservoir. The trolleybus had sunk 10 meters (33 ft) deep, about 25 meters (82 ft) from the shore.

Despite the difficult conditions of dirty water and poor visibility, Karapetyan bravely dived in and used his legs to break open the back window of the trolleybus. With great determination, he saved 46 out of the 92 passengers, rescuing 20 lives.

But the cold water and broken glass caused many cuts on Karapetyan's body, and he had to stay in the hospital for 45 days. He faced more problems like pneumonia and sepsis. Although he eventually recovered, the damage to his lungs meant he couldn't continue his successful swimming career.

"I knew I could only save a limited number of lives. I was scared of making mistakes. It was so dark down there that I could hardly see anything. Once, I accidentally grabbed a seat instead of a person during a dive. I could have saved a life instead. That memory still haunts me in my nightmares," he said.

In 1985, Karapetyan came across a burning building where several people were trapped. Without hesitation, he bravely entered the building and started rescuing the people inside. Unfortunately, he suffered severe burns during the rescue and had to go to the hospital again.

In his later years, Karapetyan moved to Moscow and started a shoe company called "Second Breath." Surprisingly, he is still alive today and actively manages his business.

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