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Monday, 16 June 2014 - 17:14
Fast neighbour saves 3-year-old from drowning
A three year old boy was saved from drowning by his neighbor on Sunday evening. Martijn Bunte heard a screaming voice after returning home from dinner, and a few seconds later he was seen as a hero by saving a little neighborhood boy from drowning on Father's Day.
“You just react on your impulses and I just reacted on what I heard,” explained Bunte to RTL news.
Everyting seemed normal when Bunte was eating his ice cream in his garden. He heard his neighbor shout the name of one of his children but nothing else, until suddenly the screaming became more panic-stricken accompanied by sounds of splashing water. Bunte says he saw the child drifting in the water when he looked over his fence. "I did not hesitate for a second and went into action," he said.
“I am not some godlike, athletic person, but my girlfriend was impressed when she saw me jumping over the fence with such speed. I saw the mother who was in total shock to the extent that she just could not move her feed from the ground, which I can fully understand in a situation like this. They were very lucky that we were around that time”, explains Bunte.
"I do not have any experience saving someone’s life but you just do as you see on TV," said the brave neighbor. After the boy began to turn blue, Bunte rightly figured the child was not getting enough oxygen and began tapping the kid's back until water came out of his mouth and nose, he said. In the meantime the emergency services were called by witnesses. The boy was taken to the hospital in Enschede with fast speed, and was later on moved to the UMCG in Groningen.
While the emergency services took over Bunte was told by police he saved the boy's life. Burte has no idea how the boy ended up in the water, he himself has a daughter who is 11 years old. “Water and little kids are always a tricky combination” said the boy’s saviour.