#ThisDay Sep 16, 1976, #Armenia'n finswimmer, Shavarsh Karapetyan saved the lives of 20 people in the #Yerevan Lake incident, when suddenly a trolleybus crashed into it. While most watched in horror, Karapetyan sprang into action. He had one goal: save as many people as possible. 
The trolleybus lay at the bottom of the reservoir some 25 metres (80 ft) offshore at a depth of 10 metres (33 ft). Karapetyan swam to it and, despite conditions of almost zero visibility, due to the silt rising from the bottom, broke the back window with his legs.
The trolleybus was crowded, it carried 92 passengers, Karapetyan started bringing people up from the bottom of the lake, to his waiting brother. The combined effect of multiple lacerations from glass shards led to Karapetyan's hospitalization for 45 days.
He developed pneumonia and sepsis. Subsequent lung complications prevented Karapetyan from continuing his sports career. Karapetyan's achievement was not immediately recognized. All related photos were kept at the district attorney’s office and were only published 2 years later.
He was awarded the Medal "For the Salvation of the Drowning" & the Order of the Badge of Honor. His name became a household name in the USSR on October 12, 1982, when Komsomolskaya Pravda published the article on his feat, entitled "The Underwater Battle of the Champion" #History
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