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Netanya beach shortly after drowning
Photo: Ido Erez
MDA paramedics at work

Lifeguards blame irresponsible swimmers after deadly weekend

Five drown off Israel's shores despite repeated warnings of turbulent waters, one of them a 12-year-old boy. Chairman of Israeli Lifeguard Association calls on government to approve funding for more lifeguards, but also says too many Israelis ignore their instructions

A 12-year-old boy drowned on Saturday afternoon at the Agmon beach in Netanya, and he was only one of five victims claimed by the sea this weekend.

 

MDA paramedics were dispatched repeatedly to various points along Israel's coast over the weekend, as the relatively comfortable weather drew considerable crowds to the seemingly calm waters of the Mediterranean despite warnings issued by Israel's meteorology service that this weekend the waves were expected to reach heights of 7.2 feet.

 

The latest of those deaths occurred in the early evening hours, as paramedics attempted, and failed, to resuscitate a 45-year-old man who drowned while swimming at an unguarded beach in Tel Aviv.

Earlier in the day a 35-year-old man drowned at the Neve Yam beach near Atlit, in northern Israel.

 

On Friday a 70-year-old woman drowned in Tel Aviv and a 46-year-old man, also swimming in an unguarded beach, drowned off the Haifa coast.

The tragedy in Natanya also occurred at an unguarded beach, some 165 yards from the nearest lifeguard post. But this did not appear to deter other swimmers; scant hours later another swimmer was pulled out from the same waters after having become distressed, though no medical attention was necessary.

 

Three additional beach-goers were rescued by lifeguards on Saturday. In the Sharon region a young woman was lightly-to-moderately wounded and a 20-year-old man was seriously wounded after having drowned. In Tel Aviv a 40-year-old man who drowned was resuscitated by paramedics and is still in serious condition.

 

Lifeguard Association: People don't listen

Three of this weekend's five deaths occurred off unguarded beaches. Chairman of the Israeli Lifeguard Association, Avi Afiya, adamantly said on Saturday evening that there simply are not enough lifeguards to service the public.

 

"All these incidents happen more than a mile away from where we are, and then the lifeguards have to abandon their posts and the people who came to swim near them," he said.

 

Afiya said poor judgment on the swimmer's part continues to be the leading factor contributing to drowning-related deaths.

 

"Our biggest problem is that reckless people go to beach where there aren't lifeguards. They set up camp there and this creates the illusion of a fully serviced beach," he said, adding that people often swim in unguarded beaches without even knowing they are endangering their lives. These beaches, he said, are situated close to guarded areas but are undistinguishable from their secure counterparts as restaurants and snack stands have spread out into them.

 

Afiya said swimmers regularly ignore the warnings given by lifeguards. "Sometimes we physically go down into the water to confront them. People think – we came to the beach to swim and have a good time – they don't care what the sea is like."

 

He also condemned the ineptitude of the municipal authorities when it comes to manpower. "There aren't enough lifeguards to provide service because no one is willing to work for 15 shekels (just over $4) an hour."

 

Afiya said trained lifeguards prefer to work at public pools, where the pay is nearly twice that of those employed at beaches.

 


פרסום ראשון: 07.26.08, 20:19
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