A silver medal and a large bunch of flowers from Mayor Jan Hamming for Mounir El Morabit for his heroic deed last March. He saved the life of a Portuguese who had fallen into the water and fell off the opening Zaanse Beatrix Bridge. Mounir often turns out to be the man in the right place: he says he has already saved three (!) human lives this year.
Many shocked reactions on the quay of the Wilhelminasluis in Zaandam on a cool Friday afternoon in March. A man hangs briefly on the lamps of the opening Beatrix Bridge and then lets go. He lands hard with his face on the concrete, and then in the icy water to end up.
At that moment, Mounir arrives, he says today at the mayor’s table. Screams from bystanders have caught his attention. They shout ‘stop, stop, stop!’ to a skipper. Too late: his ship sails over the drowning man. “As I got closer to the bridge, I saw small children running and screaming,” said Mounir. “So I thought, ‘It’s a kid.’ Then I saw a jacket blown up by the air over someone’s head.” He doesn’t hesitate and jumps – alone – into the water.
His action is successful: he manages to get the man to the side. The emergency services are there at lightning speed and help the victim. Mounir says it was not a pleasant sight: “I heard his last breath and his eyes were rolled, I looked straight into his face. Blood was coming out of his mouth and his nose.” The victim was unconscious for a long time, but on March 6, the police shared the good news that he is approachable again.
Two people successfully resuscitated
The Royal Society for the Rescue of Drenkelingen thought the action was worth a silver medal. After receiving the award and the flowers, Mounir often tells people to come to the rescue. This year he has already saved the lives of three people.
In addition to rescuing the drowning man, he successfully resuscitated two people, once on a football field and once in a café. “Such things always come my way. I don’t know why.” Mayor Hamming is very impressed: “I hope it doesn’t happen more often, but if it happens, we’re in good hands with you!”
After the rescue at the Wilhelminasluis, Mounir only suffers from a sore back, but fortunately that is soon over. He never saw the man he saved. The hero therefore hopes that he can meet the man again: “Yes, of course! I would certainly like to speak to him.”
After the accident, the municipality ordered an investigation into the cause of the accident. Spokesperson Sebastiaan Hoek says this will be completed this or next week. The investigation, including a reconstruction, will be sent to the municipal council via the municipal executive. Then it will be made public.
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