Rescue Diver Opens Up About Emotional Toll of Recovering Two Sisters From Armenia River

An Armenian rescue diver has offered a deeply personal account of the emotional toll behind the search for two young sisters whose bodies were recovered from the Pambak River earlier this month, showing the often-unseen burden carried by first responders.

In a video released by Armenia's Rescue Service, diver Vahe Melkonyan reflected on the days-long operation that gripped the country and the sleepless nights that followed.

“Every incident leaves its mark, especially when it involves children,” Melkonyan said. “Those cases are very difficult.”

Although he had not been formally assigned to the operation, Melkonyan said he immediately gathered his equipment and traveled to the scene with fellow rescuers after learning about the disappearance of the two sisters from Vanadzor.

The search began after the girls, aged 7 and 13, were reported missing on June 15. Rescue teams spent days combing the river and surrounding areas in hopes of finding them.

Melkonyan eventually located the younger sister approximately 500 meters downstream from the presumed site of the incident. He described the challenging conditions, explaining that the child had become trapped among submerged tree branches and had to be carefully recovered from the water.

But the search was far from over.

For days, Melkonyan said, the operation consumed his thoughts. After long hours in the field, he would return home late at night unable to sleep, repeatedly studying maps and analyzing the river's currents in an effort to determine where the older sister might be.

“I would lie awake thinking about where the river could have carried her and whether there was a place I had not yet searched,” he recalled.

The breakthrough came when he discovered the 13-year-old girl beneath a large fallen tree submerged in the river. Layers of sand and debris had concealed her from view, despite multiple searches of the same area.

“There were places I had checked five or six times,” he said. “Holding my breath, I would dive down and dig through the sand until I was finally able to bring her out.”

Despite the public praise that followed, Melkonyan rejected suggestions that he had acted heroically.

“There is nothing heroic about this,” he said. “You simply have to be human and do your work with conscience.”

His testimony offers a rare glimpse into the emotional and psychological challenges faced by rescue personnel, whose work often places them at the center of some of society's most heartbreaking tragedies. While their missions may end when a search concludes, the memories—and the weight of those moments—often remain long afterward.

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