Ku myaka 11 yavuye mu Bufaransa agera mu Bwongereza yoga, umuhigo utazakurwaho
Ubwo yari afite myaka 11, Tom Gregory yaciye umuhigo wo kuba umuntu muto wa mbere wambutse ubunigo (English Channel) butandukanya Ubwongereza n'Ubufaransa. Ni igikorwa cyamusabye ukwihangana kandi kitarakorwa n'undi w'icyo kigero.
Tom Gregory yageze aho yumva umuibri we atakiwumva ameze nk'uri gusinzira Saa kumi n'imwe z'igitondo tariki 06 y'ukwa cyenda mu 1988 Tom Gregory yahagaze ku mwaro w'Ubufaransa. Inyuma ye hari umutoza we, John Bullet. Imbere hari inyanja ngari y'ubunigo buzwi nka Channel agiye kwigerezaho yambuka yoga. Hakurya kandi niho hari iwabo. Tom yashyizemo ingofero n'amataratara y'amazi maze arambika inda ku mazi. Yoze mu gihe cy'amasaha 12 adahagaze. Yari afite imyaka 11 gusa. Umuhigo yaciye ntawundi uzawuca. Yize koga akiri muto cyane kuko babyara be na mushiki we mukuru bose babaga mu makipe yo koga iwabo i Londres. John Bullet, umutoza w'ikipe ye, yari afite abandi bakinnyi bazi cyane koga ariko yashakaga ukiri muto ushobora guca umuhigo ku isi nubwo atari abyizeye neza. Tom avuga ko John yari umuntu utsimbarara ku bya kera kandi ugendera ku mahame akarishye, avuga ko yafataga abana bakiri bato agatuma bagera ku bintu bikomeye. Mu 1979 Marcus Hooper yari yaraciye umuhigo wo kwambuka ubu bunigo yoga kandi afite imyaka 12. Tom ati: "Icyo gihe John yarimo atekereza uzabishobora ari munsi y'iyo myaka". "Yabonye uyu muhungu udashamaje usa n'ubyibushye ufite imyaka irindwi atekereza ko ari we uzabishobora". Yatangiye kumutoza, ku myaka umunani Tom yari atangiye koga kilometero 9 adahagaze. Ku myaka 10 yahise atangira kumutegurira kuzambuka ubunigo bwa 'The Channel' ari koga. Yanyuzagamo akaruhuka Ibi bisaba kuba ababyeyi bashyigikiye umwana wabo nk'uko Tom abivuga kuko abe bamubaga hafi kandi bakamutera akanyabugabo. Hari abantu bapfuye bagerageza kwambuka ubu bunigo bari koga. Abenshi bicwa n'ubukonje cyangwa bugatuma bahagarika kugerageza. Kuva kuri Noheli yo mu 1987, Tom ntabwo yigeze akora ku mazi ashyushye. Kuva mu ntangiriro ya 1988 yiyorosaga ishuka imwe gusa n'amadirishya y'inzu afunguye. Yiteguraga ubukonje. Ubunigo uyu muhungu yambutse yoga Ati: "John yaranteguye kugeza ubwo numva ko nzabishobora". Mu ijoro ryo ku itariki 05 y'ukwa cyenda 1988 bafashe ubwato barambuka bajya ahitwa Cap Gris Nez, niko gace k'Ubufaransa kegereye Ubwongereza. Nubwo ubundi hagati ya Dover mu Bwongereza na Cap Gris Nez hari kilometero 32 z'uburebure, inzira Tom yagombaga kunyuramo ni kilometero 51 kubera kwirinda agace karimo imiraba. Mu gitondo kare kare nibwo yatangiye kugerageza kwesa umuhigo yagendaga yoga imbere ye hari ubwato. Mu mazi yabonaga John gusa wamuzaniraga umutobe n'ibisuguti Tom ati: "Ngiye gutangira numvise ikintu cy'ubwoba. Bwari bukijemo kandi ndi no kwibaza kuri kilometero 51 imbere yanjye. Nari mfite ubwoba ko biri bunanire". Tom avuga ko ari koga atatekerezaga iby'uko ari umwana ahubwo yakomeza gutekereza urugendo rusigaye n'umunaniro yumva afite. Ati: "Byageze aho nkajya nishyiramo ko mbonye hakurya, ariko uko neguye umutwe simbone ikintu imbere uretse inyanja". "Naretse ibyo kongera kureba imbere nshyira umutwe hasi igihe kirekire gishoboka ariko nongeye kureba imbere mbona ni kwa kundi. Aho niho natangiye kumva uburibwe". Avuga ko yumvise uburibwe bukomeye mu ntugu, amaguru akumva ari gushya. Umubiri umeze nk'uri guhagarara gukora. Ati: "Wari wumva uko umubiri ukuvaho urimo usinzira? Niko byari bimeze. Nka kumwe ugenda uhondobera utakibashije umubiri wawe ukumva ikintu kiragukanguye". We yagarurwaga n'urusaku rwa moteri y'ubwato cyangwa uko amavuta ya moteri anuka mu gihe umubiri we wabaga umeze nk'usinziriye nyamara ari koga. Mu gihe cye cyo koga umuntu yabonaga gusa ni Tom ubwo yabaga ahagaze akamuha ibisuguti (biscuits) n'umutobe w'inyanya ngo agarure agatege. Gusa ngo byageze aho Tom atamuvanaho ijisho. John wamutoje akamufasha kwesa umuhigo yamubuze hashize amezi atanu ibi birangiye Ati: "Yari abizi ko ngeze ahanyuma ho kwihanganira uburibwe. Yakomezaga kuntera akanyabugabo ariko byari nko gukora ubusa". "Nageze aho numva agahinda kenshi. Hari n'aho narize. Ariko byari biteye ubwoba kurushaho guhagarara - bidateye ubwoba undi wese - ahubwo gutinya gutsindwa". Hirya kure yahabonye imanga y'umweru, buhoro buhoro agenda ayisatira. Tom ati: "Ni ibintu bidasanzwe. Nari nashizemo imbaraga, ariko iminota 10 ya nyuma sinamenye aho zivuye kugeza ngeze ku mwaro. Byari bimeze noneho nko kuguruka. Numvaga gusa John ari kuvuga ngo 'komeza, komeza, komeza!'" Umuhungu yaragiye agera ku mwaro aho yasanze abantu 20, barimo ababyeyi be, bari bategereje. Maze nanone akandagira ku butaka mu byishimo atabasha gusobanura. Yari amaze amasaha 11 n'iminota 54 yoga, uwo munsi yari afite imyaka 11 n'iminsi 336. Nta muntu uraca kuri uyu muhigo ari munsi y'iki kigero kandi nta n'undi uzawuvanaho. Tom yicaye ari gufata akaruhuko nyuma yo guca umuhigo Mu 2000 ishyirahamwe ry'abantu boga muri ubu bunigo bwa Channel ryategetse ko nta muntu uri munsi y'imyaka 16 uzongera kugerageza kwambuka ubu bunigo ari koga. Tom ati: "Ngeze ku mwaro, narazungerewe mera nk'utaye ubwenge, nari maze amasaha 12 mu bukonje kandi nari nabwiwe ko ningera ku butaka nibura ntera intambwe ebyiri nigenza ku maguru bitaba ibyo simbe naciye umuhigo. Ariko no guhagarara byari bigoye". "Izo ntambwe ariko zari ingenzi cyane. Byari nk'ibihe bya Neil Armstrong. Nishatsemo imbaraga intambwe ndazitera maze nicara hasi. Nibuka gusa abantu banzungurutse banyishimira". Avuye aho yahise ajyanwa hafi aho abanyamakuru bari bamutegereje, yewe na New York Times yari yaje. Yabaye umugabo wubatse ubana n'umugore n'umukobwa wabo Tom ubu ni umugabo w'imyaka 42, nyuma yaje kujya mu girikare ndetse yarwanye muri Iraq na Afghanistan, ubu ni umukozi w'ikigo cy'ibaruramari Deloitte, aba ahitwa Surrey hafi ya Londres we n'umugore we n'umukobwa we. Hashize amezi atanu Tom aciye uyu muhigo, umutoza we John yarapfuye ku myaka 50. Yazize uburwayi bw'imitsi yo mu bwonko buzwi nka 'stroke', ubwo yari mu bwogero mu gitondo. Tom ati: "Kuri njye byari nko gupfusha data. Byarankomerekeje cyane kuko ni we twamaranaga umwanya minini. Iyo naririmbaga indirimbo y'igihugu nahitaga ndira".