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Heroic fisherman saves man from burning boat in Nokia

Thursday 25th 2024 on 07:03 in  
Finland

Paavo Honkajuuri credits higher powers for his survival following a shocking boat fire incident in Nokia last Sunday. He was preparing for an evening of boating when, while testing his boat’s gas stove, the appliance burst into flames, propelling him into the cabin.

“I tried to get out, but I stumbled over the threshold. Then I remember hands pulling me from the boat,” Honkajuuri recounted. His memories afterward are hazy—waiting for an ambulance and seeing people around him, though he vaguely recalls being in a panic, saying he was hurt.

Earlier this week, following the incident, he sought to connect with his rescuer through TikTok, expressing gratitude for the heroic act that saved his life. On Wednesday morning, he shared his story in a Yle Radio interview.

Later that day, Abderrazzak Chaouki, a local fisherman who witnessed the explosion, stepped forward as Honkajuuri’s savior. Chaouki was fishing nearby when he heard a blast so powerful that it sent a shockwave through the air. Believing children might be aboard the burning boat, he called emergency services before rushing to help.

He found Honkajuuri trying to escape the smoke-filled vessel and pulled him to safety. Chaouki noted that there was a considerable amount of smoke, but fortunately, it dispersed upward.

The explosion has left Honkajuuri shaken yet grateful, particularly that his six-year-old son was not on the boat at the time. As he processes the trauma from the event, he acknowledges the emotional toll it has taken but finds solace in the humor gradually returning to his life.

Source 
(via yle.fi)