Government report: Drowning accidents claimed the lives of 221 people last year

A recent government report revealed that drowning incidents in areas under the control of the legitimate government claimed the lives of 221 people of various age groups during the year 2024 AD.

A report published by the Security Media of the Ministry of Interior on Friday stated that 221 people died last year, including 93 African migrants who drowned in the sea, flood waters, swamps, barriers, ponds, dams, swimming pools and beaches, in separate incidents witnessed by the liberated governorates last year.

He added that the Civil Defense and Coast Guard teams were able to rescue 79 others from certain death during this period.

The statistics showed that Ma'rib Governorate witnessed the most drowning incidents, with 38 incidents that resulted in the death of 35 people, followed by Hadhramaut Governorate with 20 drowning incidents (18 on the coast, 2 in the valley), and Shabwa came in third place with 13 drowning incidents that resulted in the death of 93 people, including 49 Africans, as did Al Mahrah and Al Dhalea Governorates.

She added that the interim capital, Aden, came in fourth place in terms of drowning incidents, with 10 incidents, and fifth was Hodeidah, with 7 incidents, and the same was true of Taiz, where a drowning incident on its coast claimed the lives of 44 African immigrants, and Abyan came in seventh place with 6 incidents.

The report did not mention the number of victims in the drowning incidents that took place in the governorates of Hadhramaut, Al Mahrah, Al Dhale, Aden, Al Hudaydah, and Abyan.

The report attributed the causes of drowning accidents to (personal and family negligence, adventures in entering the water without being able to swim, lack of experience, ignorance and poor awareness of the dangers of water to their lives, despite repeated warnings by the Coast Guard Service about the consequences of adventures and swimming in water bodies, especially during sea disturbances and climate fluctuations, as well as instructions, warnings and guidance from the Civil Defense Service and its branches in the liberated governorates, which repeated such warning and cautionary messages about the tragedies and consequences of neglecting children in places where rainwater and floods collect or when people are alone and enter the waters of those barriers, and instructions were placed in many of those locations for citizens).

The report indicated that the Coast Guard Service was able to carry out 64 search and rescue operations last year, including rescuing a boat crew of 11 Eritrean nationals who had drowned at sea.