Tuesday 23 / April / 2024
Muscat: There has been a 42 per cent fall in the number of water rescue operations over the past three years, according to the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA).
Statistics released by the authority revealed that in 2016 there were 268 water rescue operations, while in 2017 the figure fell to 173, then last year, the authority recorded just 155 incidents.
"With the start of summer and the increase in temperatures, many families head to beaches, wadis and various water ponds to get away from the heat, which could result in a drowning accident," PACDA said.
According to PACDA, the reasons that lead to drowning accidents include not knowing how to swim, swimming in areas that are not designated for the sport, like in dams and agriculture ponds and amateur attempts to rescue someone which at times leads to the drowning of both people.
Other reasons include not monitoring children during trips and when they are near water areas, and crossing wadis without taking into account the strength of the tide.
The areas where the majority of the water rescue took place are the ocean, wadis during rainfall, dams, water ponds and open water tanks.
