Sri Lanka Police warn public against bathing in natural waters as drowning deaths mount

Sun, Apr 15, 2018, 11:05 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.


Apr 15, Colombo: Sri Lanka Police request public to refrain from bathing in rivers and other such natural waters they are not familiar with as drowning incidents have increased in the recent past.

Police Media spokesman Superintendent of Police Ruwan Gunasekara said several drowning deaths have been reported lately.

According to the police 877 persons died from drowning and 727 deaths have been reported in 2017. In the first two months of 2018, 93 people have died from drowning.

Police Media Spokesperson says that most of these deaths are due to the carelessness of the victims.
The police warn that due to the prevailing rainy weather now, there is possibility of flash floods and sudden large water movements. Therefore, police request the public not to bathe in places that are not familiar to them and only get into the water and bathe in places where there are police lifeguards present.

The Police request the public to follow the instructions posted on the warning signs.

The Police Media Spokesman further said that the police lifeguards have rescued 94 lives in 2017 and 25 lives so far this year.