Authorities from Santiago de Cuba warned this Friday of an increase in drownings of children and adolescents in the province, due to lack of risk perception, carelessness and negligence by family members.
According to the person in charge of Operations and Relief / Aquatic Safety of the Red Cross branch in Santiago de Cuba, Aris Arias Batalla, several incidents occurred in that territory in July, many of them resolved by the quick action of Lifeguards, but others that ended in the death of the person affected, quoted the newspaper Sierra Maestra.
Most of the cases that ended in tragedy were drownings by submersion, he said.
Although he does not specify the number of drownings since the beginning of summer, he warns that at this time there is a notable increase in bathers in certified beaches, pools and rivers and with the presence of lifeguards, but in rural areas the use of pools and ravines constitute a real danger.
“We regret the loss of human lives, mainly in the ages of children and adolescents; these accidents have been due to lack of perception of risks, carelessness and negligence of family members and companions,” he commented.
He said that “the highest incidence of deaths has been in rural locations, specifically in pools or areas surrounding their homes or communities.”
Arias Batalla called on families to take care of vulnerable groups, which included young people and adolescents: “We can have fun, enjoy ourselves and bathe, but with safety, caution, trust is in danger, life is priceless and can lose in seconds,” he stressed.
He clarified that the areas where the deaths have occurred are not certified as bathing areas, therefore there are no lifeguards and the safety of the people depends on the responsibility of the bathers.
He added that in the beach areas and others certified for bathers there are lifeguards, which are often ignored by vacationers who commit indiscipline. He explains that on tours of beaches, pools, and rivers, it has been observed that “vacationers start talking, drinking alcohol, playing, and having fun, and children alone on the sand, shore, and even in the water. After these carelessness, in seconds, come accidents, drownings and fatalities”.
The lifeguards “watch over the lives of hundreds of people, most of the time they do not have all the resources, and despite their talks, warnings and calls for attention, bathers do not respect their instructions and prohibitions,” he said.
The official warned that adolescents and young people are also a vulnerable group that needs vigilance.
“Sometimes they move away from the shore in truck beds used as rafts, some without knowing how to swim, and that is where the danger comes, or they start to “play hand in hand” sometimes even taken, and it also constitutes a risk,” detailed.
Two days ago, Arias Batalla reported that two cuban teenagersYuleidis Sánchez Escalante, 13 years old, and Claudia Escalante Carmenate, 16, drowned in a pool of the river known as El Saltadero, in the municipality of Palma Soriano.
Also in April, it reported that three young people died in several accidents occurred on the beaches from Santiago de Cuba.
The alert arises when August begins, the month with the highest influx of bathers to the country’s beaches and rivers.
