accidents
Philippines: People drowned during Easter holiday
People on a beach in the Philippines: The hotels and resorts were mostly fully booked during the Easter holidays (symbol image). photo
© Alejandro Ernesto/dpa
A wave of swimming accidents shakes the holiday paradise. At least 72 people drowned in the first ten days of April, some of the fatalities were children.
An unusual number of people have drowned in the Philippines since the beginning of the month. The police in the island state spoke of at least 72 deaths in the first ten days of April.
A particularly large number of bathing accidents occurred during Holy Week, during which numerous people flocked to the beaches, it said. The number of deaths is very high compared to other years, said police spokeswoman Jean Fajardo.
“Some of the fatalities were children who were left unattended, some were drunk and others pulled each other down and drowned together.” Parents need to take better care of their children, and bathers in general should avoid going into deep water, she warned.
The hotels and resorts in the Southeast Asian country were mostly fully booked during the holidays because people were able to travel again at Easter for the first time since the corona pandemic. In response to the many deaths, first aid courses for hotel employees are now to be carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, said Fajardo.