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Bulgarian man who died saving British girl's life is awarded bravery medal

By Nicholas Watt theguardian.com, Thursday 12 December 2013

Plamen Petkov was the only one on the beach who responded to cries for help, saving the girl from drowning, the ambassador said. Photograph: Sussex police

A man who died while saving a young girl from drowning in West Sussex has been posthumously awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for bravery.

Plamen Petkov, 32, was hailed by the British ambassador to Sofia as a "true Bulgarian hero" after he dived into the sea at West Wittering beach last year to rescue a five-year-old girl who had been dragged out on an inflatable rubber ring.

Jonathan Allen said Petkov, an electrician with joint British-Bulgarian citizenship, was the only person on the crowded beach who answered desperate cries for help from the girl's mother. Petkov, from Sutton in Surrey, who had been walking on the beach with his partner, reached the girl and made sure he held her head above the water as he swam back to the shore.

But Petkov was dragged under the waves and suffered a suspected heart attack after handing the girl back to her distraught mother on the beach. People on the beach administered CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) for 40 minutes and an air ambulance was called. But he could not be revived.

The beach at West Wittering, West Sussex. Photograph: Alamy

In a statement the British ambassador in Sofia hailed Petkov's "exemplary bravery". Jonathan Allen said: "Many people were on the beach on the West Wittering on that sunny day in May, but only Plamen Petkov responded to the pleas of the distraught mother and found the inner strength to jump into the treacherous waters. His indomitable courage and complete disregard for his own safety saved the life of the little girl, but unfortunately resulted in his own demise.

"Plamen Petkov's noble act moved deeply the British people and the coroner's officer that dealt with the matter attested to his bravery saying that in her five years on the job that was 'the most unselfish act she had seen'.

"No words will ever be truly worthy of this deed. And no honour can ever fully repay Plamen Petkov's sacrifice. But on days such as this we can pay tribute and we can express our gratitude that there are people like him. Plamen Petkov is a true Bulgarian hero. The United Kingdom honours his heroism and his sacrifice."

Petkov's mother has been invited to receive the medal on his behalf.

Eight awards were made on Thursday. PC Ian Dibell, an off-duty police officer who was shot dead while trying to disarm a gunman near his home on Clacton-on-Sea last year, was posthumously awarded the George Medal. PC Colin Swan was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery after he evacuated 66 women and children from a burning coach on the M3 motorway while off duty. PC Jonathan Henry was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery after he was stabbed in Luton in 2007 while trying to disarm an assailant. Andrew Bilton and husband and wife Brian and Joanne Keane were awarded the Queen's Commendations for Bravery for rescuing two drivers from a car that caught fire after a collision in Dorset in June this year. PC Claire Murphy was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for rescuing a woman who had fallen into a river last year.

MLA Citation for this article:

Watt, Nicholas. "Bulgarian Man Who Died Saving British Girl's Life Is Awarded Bravery Medal." Theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 12 Dec. 2013. Web. 21 July 2014.

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