Movie about Shavarsh Karapetyan’s deed to be shot in Russia

YEREVAN, February 7. /ARKA/. Russia's Logos Film Company will shoot a movie about a heroic deed of Shavarsh Karapetuyan, a multiple world champion in skin diving, according to the company’s official website.   

“This is an incredible story about the power of human spirit that can do impossible things,” the company says on its website. “This is a story about a strong man who had gifted the second birth to two dozens of people and whose main reward for courage is saved lives and own life.”

The movie producers are Svetlana Dali and Olga Sinelshikova. 

Shavarsh Karapetyan is a retired Soviet-Armenian champion swimmer. He is an 11-time World Record holder, 17-time World Champion, 13-time European Champion and 8-time USSR Champion.

One cold morning on September 16, 1976 he was doing his usual run along the dam in Yerevan, Armenia, when a large trolleybus carrying 92 passengers lost control and flew off the road into the freezing water. Тhe bus sank approximately 10 meters deep. Without a second of hesitation, Shavarsh dived into the freezing water to rescue people.

Shavarsh used his feet to break the back window of the trolleybus. One by one, he saved 20 peoples’ lives (he actually pulled out more then 20, but not everyone made it). He spent nearly 20 minutes in the frigid water and accomplished 30 dives down to the wreck of the bus. 

In 1980s, Karapetyan retired and in 1991 relocated to Moscow, where he engaged in a business.  He also established the Benevolent Foundation of Shavarsh Karapetyan for fostering skin diving development in Russia. In 2010, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan awarded a medal for courage to him.  -0---