Up to this point last year, rescuers had found 75 drowning victims.
The VUGD statistics doesn't include, however, the cases where the drowning victim was conveyed onto land and therefore the rescuers weren't summoned to find and retrieve the body.
"The firefighters receive different calls related to drowning victims: someone had plunged into the water and hasn't come up; another attempted to swim across a body of water, and yet another has left his clothes on the shore, which point to the fact that a person had gone swimming and hasn't returned,” said Inta Palkavniece, the spokeswoman for VUGD.
Rescuers are reminding everyone of the dangers of swimming under the influence. “One can never be too safe near the water, and it is crucial to look after children. It should be borne in mind that health complications may occur when a person suddenly enters cold water in sweltering heat. In the event that you see someone having trouble getting out of the water or drowning, we encourage you to call 112 immediately,” said Palkavniece.
