r/interesting Oct 04 '24

In 1976, Shavarsh Karapetyan, an Armenian Olympic swimmer, saves 20 people trapped in a bus that sank 80' offshore. It took him several hours to save them all, and he suffered injuries that put him in the hospital for 45 days—it ended his Olympic career. HISTORY

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417

u/Tea_master_666 Oct 04 '24

On September 16, 1976, Karapetyan was jogging alongside Yerevan Lake with his brother Kamo. Karapetyan had just completed his usual finswimming distance of 20 km (12 mi) when he heard the sound of a crash and saw a sinking trolleybus.

The trolleybus had lost control and fallen from a dam wall, laying at the bottom of the reservoir some 25 meters (80 ft) offshore at a depth of 10 meters (33 ft).Despite the challenging conditions of sewage-infested waters and poor visibility due to silt, Karapetyan courageously dived in and used his legs to kick open the back window of the trolleybus. He managed to rescue 46 out of the 92 passengers onboard, saving the lives of 20 individuals.

Yep, this guys is a superhero.

94

u/IndependenceSad9300 Oct 04 '24

The non 46 died? Also the non 20 of the 46 died?

147

u/Robmart Oct 04 '24

He rescued 46, but only 20 survived

128

u/witchywater11 Oct 04 '24

I hope he didn't beat himself up about it. The fact that he managed to get more than half of those people at least out of the water is a great kindness, even if they didn't make it.

43

u/ChompyChomp Oct 04 '24

Also because that would mean he was beating up a guy who was in the hospital for injuries relating to saving a bunch of people.

19

u/AzureDreamer Oct 04 '24

But if youare in the hospital for injuries related to saving a bunch of people maybe we shouldn't give him too much crap for beating up a guy in the hospital with injuries related to saving a bunch of people. Maybe he earned it 

5

u/MrNotEinstein Oct 04 '24

Hospitals these days only have enough main character doctors for one hero patient at a time anyway. If there's more than one then they've gotta fight for the privilege

4

u/AzureDreamer Oct 04 '24

See what we have been reduced too, after the latest CBS budget cuts

24

u/Winjin Oct 04 '24

As far as I read he was very distraught he couldn't save more, and what's worse, one of the dives he did he mistook a leather cushion from the seat for a human - he's sure he could save another person.

This man is a hero, indeed. And he's still alive, and multiple countries invited him multiple times to be the Torch Bearer at Olympics for them!

1

u/IzarkKiaTarj Oct 05 '24

He managed to rescue 46 out of the 92 passengers onboard

he managed to get more than half of those people

🤔

4

u/Leaky_gland Oct 04 '24

How do rescue 46 on 20 dives?

23

u/Ph455ki1 Oct 04 '24

If you dive down and kick the window in without taking anyone back with you, but as a result 10 can escape through the opening you just made then you still rescued 10 people.

I don't think he necessarily had to bring the 46 up himself manually, but the fact that he made it possible for them to escape is enough to say you rescued them

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u/SemperSimple Oct 04 '24

Ahh, true. This makes more sense. Obviously, the people would be trying to get out if there is a way.

38

u/HalfwrongWasTaken Oct 04 '24 edited Oct 04 '24

46 were pulled/escaped. 37 by Shavarsh, 9 escaping on their own through the window. Only 20 of those 46 survived.

He dove into the cold murky waters of Yerevan Lake some 40 times, going in and out through broken glass, forced to feel around for people in the dark. Each plunge took about 25 seconds. On his last dive, on the verge of fainting, he emerged clutching a seat cushion instead of a victim. “I had nightmares about that cushion for a long time. I could have saved someone else’s life,” Savarsh told Russia's Channel One.

Savarsh pulled 37 people out of the lake, and nine others escaped on their own through the broken window. The rescue operation was set up in a matter of minutes. Doctors who arrived from a nearby hospital treated the victims right on the shore. Unfortunately, only 20 of those Shavarsh rescued could be saved.

From one of the cited wiki sources (which conflicts a bit with the rest of the wiki's information...)

6

u/lactoseadept Oct 04 '24

What a boss