A minivan carrying nine Polish tourists crashed into an Amsterdam canal on Saturday, 2 April. All could be saved thanks to the swift, heroic actions of a man who was drinking coffee nearby when it happened.
Henk Cornelissen, 29 years old, jumped into the chilly waters without hesitation, pulling open the side door. "They tried to break the window but they couldn't," Cornelissen said to NH Nieuws.
"I saw so many people in that little bus, which was sinking so fast. Four people were banging on the window, but they couldn't get out. I saw a boy who tried to break the window with his elbow but couldn't. He was covered in blood. It was so stressful."
Due to the underwater pressure, the door was very difficult to open. "I had to put my feet on the side of the car and open the door with both hands and with full force."
A nearby tourist boat pulled up beside the sinking van, taking on some of the passengers. Emergency services arrived soon after.
All passengers could be saved, but there was a tense moment of waiting as fire brigade divers had to first check whether the van was indeed empty.
It is unclear why the bus crashed into the water, but it is presumed the driver backed up to far when parking the van next to the canal.
The tourists were in extra luck: Cornelissen is a passionate diver, and spends a lot of time in cold water. "Maybe I wouldn't have gotten into the water if I didn't have experience with it," he said.
