Drowning Accidents Increase for 5 Consecutive Years... "Jumping into Valleys Recklessly When It's Sunny Can Lead to Disaster"

[Financial News] #. On the 9th, four people in their 20s who went missing while playing in the water in the upper reaches of Geumgang River in Geumsan County, Chungnam, were all found in cardiac arrest. According to police investigations, they were not wearing life jackets and were playing in a prohibited area at the time of the accident.
Recently, water play drowning accidents have been increasing for 5 consecutive years, raising alarms about safety. With the end of this week's heavy rain and the start of the full-fledged summer vacation season, it is expected that more vacationers will visit valleys, rivers, and swimming pools. There are warnings that sudden localized heavy rain can cause rapid changes in water depth and current, requiring special caution.
According to the '2024 Water Accident Analysis' obtained by our newspaper from the Fire Department on the 16th, the number of water play drowning rescue cases was counted as 1273. This accounted for 14.9% of the total 8551 water accidents (flooding, ship distress, valley and rapid accidents, etc.), following 2302 flooding cases as the second most significant. Last year, the number of water play visitors also increased after the rainfall decreased in mid-July, and the heatwave continued. Also, there were △362 cases in 2020 △687 cases in 2021 △776 cases in 2022 △928 cases in 2023, showing an increasing trend for 5 years. It was concentrated in July and August each year.
The data from the Fire Department is a compilation of rescue cases. It is estimated that the actual number of water play drowning accidents would be higher if incidents that resulted in death or those that involved self-rescue activities without reporting to the fire authorities were included.
Summer accidents are related to heavy rain. It is known that when it rains more than 30 to 80mm per hour, the water level of small to medium-sized rivers rises by about 0.5m to 3m.
The water level in valleys rises faster. It flows rapidly down from the mountains, and the watershed area is narrow. Also, due to little infiltration into bedrock or soil, most of it runs off directly on the surface.
In valleys, if the rainfall is 30mm per hour, the water level can rise by about 1.2m in an hour. If it is 70 to 80mm, the water level soars over 4m. During the concentrated heavy rain in northern Gyeonggi and Seoul in July 2023, the water level in Dobongsan Valley rose by 2m in just 20 minutes.
Most water play accidents occur due to a lack of safety awareness, it warned. The intention is that if you do not engage in prohibited actions by the organizers or management agencies, the possibility of accidents can be reduced.
Professor Yeom Geon-ung of the Department of Police and Fire Administration at U1 University pointed out, "The biggest cause of drowning accidents is ultimately personal carelessness," adding, "Many people ignore prohibited areas or times, but in valleys, the current can suddenly speed up or whirlpools can form, and in the sea, if the weather worsens and the waves rise, it can become dangerous regardless of swimming skills."
He advised, "Ultimately, personal safety awareness is most important, and local governments and management agencies need to establish not only prohibition signs in accident-prone areas but also regular monitoring systems," adding, "Nowadays, many life jackets that consider wearability and price are being released, so wearing a life jacket should be a habit for preventing safety accidents."
Professor Gong Ha-seong of the Department of Fire and Disaster Prevention at Woosuk University also pointed out, "You should enter the water 30 minutes to an hour after eating, and avoid water play after drinking. Not only in water parks but also in valleys and beaches, life jackets must be worn," adding, "Before entering the water, wet your hands, feet, legs, face, and chest in order to prevent cardiac arrest."
yesji@fnnews.com Kim Yeji Reporter