Child water safety in the spotlight
NSRI respond to 3 drowning incidents involving children, two on the coast and one on an inland dam.
WITH the festive season almost upon us, Zululanders and holidaymakers will flock to our beaches.
However, the celebratory spirit can quickly turn into tragedy because of drownings incidents.
At the weekend the NSRI responded to three drowning incidents in KZN, involving children, two on the coast and one on an inland dam.
Two children aged nine and 13 drowned, two were hospitalised for ‘secondary drowning’ and one aged 11 remains missing, feared drowned.
Both coastal incidents involved supervised school outings to the beach and have again highlighted the necessity for basic water safety precautions.
NSRI has appealed to schools and parents across the country to educate children to be safety conscious around water and to always ensure responsible adult supervision at swimming pools, rivers, lakes, dams and at the beach.
Supervising teachers should be adequately prepared to deal with an emergency.
Statistics from the Medical Research Council show children up to the age of 14 are most at risk of drowning.
According to NSRI Richards Bay Public Relations Officer, Brynne Gericke, drownings happen extremely quickly.
‘Once a person disappears below the surface of the water it becomes very difficult to locate the victim. Do not swim alone, ‘ warned Gericke.
‘Parents also need to know where their children are at all times when in the vicinity of water.’
