Since the beginning of the year, 44 people have drowned in the reservoirs of the Vitebsk region

Amidst the abnormally hot weather established in Belarus, people flock to water bodies and sometimes forget about safety precautions. According to operational data from OSVOD as of June 30, 44 people (including five children) have drowned in the region since the beginning of the year. The majority of them – 28 (including four children) – drowned in June while swimming.

On June 5, a 13-year-old boy drowned while swimming in a pond in the area of 9th Sovkhozny Lane in Vitebsk. On the same day, a 20-year-old young man drowned in Lake Beloye near Vitebsk. On June 9, a tragedy occurred on the water in the village of Antonovo, Verkhnedvinsk district, involving a 15-year-old boy who was vacationing at an artificial reservoir. On June 15, a ninth-grader drowned in the Dnieper River in the Orsha district. On June 21, a 12-year-old boy, who was swimming in Bolshoye Lake with his seven-year-old friend without adult supervision, drowned in the village of Selishche, Ushachsky district. In the evening of June 25, on the Western Dvina River near the village of Zheleznyaki, a 21-year-old woman lost her life to the water. On June 26, the Ministry of Emergency Situations received a report that a 48-year-old man had drowned in the same river in the village of Lushchikha, Vitebsk district; divers searched for him for over an hour.

Rescuers in the region are actively countering the current situation – conducting raids on recreation areas at water bodies, providing briefings, and holding discussions together with OSVOD and the State Inspectorate for Small Vessels as part of the "Summer Patrol" campaign. Employees of the diving and rescue service of the "Vityaz" fire and rescue squad are on duty intensively to ensure safety at water bodies from morning until late evening.

As reported by the head of the service, Gennady Arsenkin, potentially dangerous recreation spots at water bodies have been identified where there are no OSVOD posts and a large concentration of people. One of these dangerous places is Lake Polonskoye in the agro-town of Vorony, which is massively visited by townspeople during the swimming season. Divers-rescuers from the "Vityaz" PASO are on duty in shifts there, conducting boat patrols, monitoring vacationers and fishermen, and warning them of the dangers. The squad's employees are in full gear, wearing diving suits, with swimming equipment, and are ready to provide assistance at any moment.

Since the beginning of the year, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations units have rescued 10 people from the water (in 2020 – 4). The last incident occurred on the evening of June 26 on the Western Dvina River in Novopolotsk, when employees of the duty patrol rescued a 30-year-old drowning woman who, with her friend, decided to swim to the middle of the river but could not.

Among the main causes of tragedies are violations of water safety rules and alcohol consumption (10 out of 18 adults who drowned in June were intoxicated).

– It only takes a moment for a person to drown, – says Gennady Sergeevich, a rescuer with 20 years of experience. – In most cases, a drowning person does not ask for help; they "hang" in one place, periodically going under water, making chaotic movements. These nuances must be noticed in order to help in time.

Rescuers urge to exercise prudence and caution while resting on the water, and not to show excessive self-confidence. Swim only in specially designated equipped areas where the beach has been surveyed and it is safe to avoid injury, and where rescuers and OSVOD are on duty. Do not swim beyond the buoys, enter the water while intoxicated, dive in unfamiliar places, or approach moving vessels. You should refrain from using inflatable mattresses. If you cannot swim or are not confident in your abilities, enter the water so that you can always feel the bottom under your feet. Minors must not be left unattended at reservoirs; they must be kept under constant supervision.