On September 16, 1976, a trolleybus carrying 92 passengers plunged into Yerevan Lake in Armenia after veering off the road. Shavarsh Karapetyan, a 23-year-old champion finswimmer, witnessed the accident while training nearby with his brother and coach. Without hesitation, Karapetyan dove into the frigid, murky water and repeatedly swam to the submerged bus, which was about 10 meters (33 feet) deep and 24 meters (80 feet) from shore.
He broke the rear window with his legs, injuring himself in the process, and began pulling trapped passengers out one by one, passing them to his brother and coach who helped bring them to safety. Karapetyan made around 30-40 dives over 20 minutes, each taking about 25 seconds, despite near-zero visibility and severe wounds from broken glass. In total, he managed to rescue more than 30 people from the wreckage, but only 20 survived due to the severity of their injuries and time underwater.
Karapetyan suffered serious health consequences, including pneumonia and sepsis from his injuries, which ultimately ended his athletic career. His heroic actions are widely recognized in Armenia and beyond, and he has been honored with awards, including Armenia’s Medal of Courage.
Our true wins must be the ones where we made effort to improve on the situation of another. May our kindness be as natural and spontaneous as breathing.