A school bus stuck in an underpass in Rovigo. The water inside was starting to rise and the driver was in a panic, motionless and unable to get out or even speak. «I thought: what if there were also children inside the bus? I couldn’t wait for the firefighters, who were busy with other interventions. The risk was too high. So I dove into that pool of brown water. The current was strong, I struggled to move forward. But in the end I reached the middle.” And immediately the sigh of relief: there were no children on board, in fact they should have boarded a few minutes later. The driver was picking them up at the nearby summer camp.
The mole of water
Elia Merlin, 26 years old and former officer in charge of the operational team of the Rovigo fire brigade, is the hero agent who, on Tuesday 25 June, around midday, immediately after the storm which hit the Polesine capital after a violent trumpet of air that devastated part of the city, brought to safety the driver of the minibus that was stuck in the underpass in Via Forlanini. Giuseppino, 60 years old, he was in fact going to pick up the children to bring them home when the storm broke out. An impressive volume of water which, in an instant, filled streets and underpasses, at that moment blocking the passage of the bus in Via Forlanini, which was suddenly knocked out.
“I did my duty”
The level was growing visibly. Giuseppino, who has walking problems, was unable to get off the bus, risking slipping into the water and drowning. In those moments, the civil protection arrived and with the special vehicle attempted to reach the yellow minibus, without success. The local police were there and Elia Merlin, 26 years old, with two degrees in his pocket, an agent since he was just 19, didn’t think about it for a moment. The back seats of the school bus were under water. What if there was just a child on board? «But don’t call me a hero – he says – I did my duty, not as an agent, but above all as a human being. I would like my gesture to be an example for everyone: to help others, always.”
«It’s the best job in the world»
The driver thanked him in tears. As well as president Luca Zaia through his Facebook page. Meanwhile Elia, in his Este, in the province of Padua, where he was born and raised, is a hero for everyone. The next day he is already at work and thinking about his third degree in psychology. «Being a municipal officer is no longer giving fines or directing traffic as you think. Every day we find ourselves faced with many delicate situations, abused women, youth problems and integration problems. Ours is a difficult job, we risk our lives but the satisfaction of helping others is priceless. This for me is the best job in the world and I will always strive to do it in the best possible way.”
