Gorazde is proud of its heroes who saved a human life on Wednesday night without thinking of their own. Fighting the icy overfalls of the swollen Drina, with the support of police, firefighters, and citizens who came to help, young kayakers Denis Rasidovic and Ahmed Fazlic saved a minor girl from Gorazde who threw herself into the Drina from the Bacanski bridge. Aware of the risk that could cost their lives, Rasidovic and Fazlic, who represented the light of human hope in the darkness of the accident, say they would do the same once again.
The real drama occurred on Wednesday night in the town on the Drina after a young girl jumped from the Bacanski bridge into a swollen river, which was reported to the duty service of the Police Station Gorazde at around 9.40 pm by an anonymous person.
Police, firefighters, and citizens immediately joined the rescue operation, and she was successfully saved thanks to Gorazde kayakers Denis Rasidovic and Ahmed Fazlic, who managed to fight the fateful race with ice overfalls, after which their club was named (in Bosnian: ”Buk”).
“I was supposed to pick up some goods at the bus station and when I arrived there, the driver told me that something was happening in the town, the police were on all sides. I was curious so I came to the city bridge and saw the cops running, people were screaming and asking for help. I asked what was going on and they said the girl jumped. At that point, I asked if she is alive, and if so, then we should try to save her. When I was heading towards the club, I met my friend Ahmed who was also going in that direction at that moment, and I cannot describe to you that feeling of not going alone. The club was locked, we did not have a key, so we had to break in, enter a room that has no light. We took available clothes, we were in sweaters, sweatshirts, with vests, so we entered kayaks and the only thing we had on our minds was to try to reach her. She was already about a kilometer and a half away from us and thank God, with the help of people who walked along the coast and lit up, called her and directed us where to go, we managed to find her, ” said Denis Rasidovic.
His colleague Ahmed Fazlic was also aware of the risk and said that he had no dilemma to help immediately.
“I sat in a kayak and thought how dangerous it was, the Drina was huge, but then I said it was someone’s life, let’s go. I was driving and somewhere near the yellow bridge I asked where she was and they told me 500 meters more, so I continued to drive but it was like an eternity, I didn’t know where my strength came from, I haven’t trained for two years now. The first time I approached her, I saved her. She was lying on her back, arms and legs outstretched and not moving, a disaster. I thought she was dead. As the tip of the kayak touched her, she moved and I saw she was alive. Then my adrenaline rushed even more and I somehow leaned her on the kayak, explaining everything to her so that she wouldn’t tip me over. Thank God we managed to get her out, she is alive and well and that is the most important thing. Not for a single moment did we think about our own lives, only last night when it was all over, we thought about how it could have been, ” Fazlic told yesterday.
While Gorazde admires the brave young men, they modestly emphasize that this is not the first time they have acted in this way because they participated in a similar rescue action during the drowning of two young men in Sarajevo, who unfortunately could not be saved.
” Probably everyone remembers that story when the two men drowned in Miljacka. My friend Armin Mulic knew that I was kayaking and he called me, I called Ahmed and we left. It was snowing in Romanija, temperatures were below zero. We got there, in Ilidza we got into river Bosnia and we came out a kilometer or two before Visoko. We entered the water at 10 and we came out around 4 or half past 4. A sawmill director approached us, set a fire, and helped us. We searched everything, but we could not find Armin’s brother because the water was huge and we concluded that he could not pass there, but that he got stuck at the entrance of Miljacka to Bosnia and they really found him there. So, we’ve done things like this before, this isn’t our first time. We used our intellect, in a human way, just like everyone would probably do, but it’s up to the people to form an opinion about it. They always talk good and bad things, ” Rasidovic pointed out.
And while it is not known when and who might need the help of the kayakers, Denis and Ahmed find it difficult to consider the fact that no one takes care of the Kayak Club “Buk”, where they grew up.
“The authorities have forgotten us, there are no normal conditions. How to explain to a parent that children dress in inappropriate rooms, of course, they would not allow it. My parents were against it, but believe me, I ran to ride a kayak because I have a priceless feeling of love for this sport and I wouldn’t like it to stop. If someone needs our help again in the future, we would do the same, without any hesitation, ” said the young citizens of Gorazde.
The Police Directorate of the Bosnian-Podrinje Canton (BPC) Gorazde confirmed that the girl (2004) was out of danger and that she had been released for home treatment, BHRT writes.
