In Estonia, mostly men drown. Approximately 90% of drowning victims are men. Kristina Eesmets from the Rescue Board says that men are often braver and overestimate their abilities.
Last year, over 60% of drowning victims were intoxicated. Some of them had over 2.5 per mille of alcohol in their blood. Surviving in water with such intoxication is very difficult.
This year, there have been cases where adults swam too recklessly. They needed rescuing. There have also been many cases where people went into the water with a SUP board and did not return. The Rescue Board has searched for missing SUP boarders three times this year.
Every summer, children disappear from their parents' sight at the beach. This year, there have been three such cases. Fortunately, all the children are alive and well. None of them drowned.
The Rescue Board has saved 11 people from drowning this year. In reality, there may be more rescues, as some people receive help from others.
Most drownings occur in inland water bodies. These include lakes, rivers, or local water bodies like ditches. This summer, one person has drowned in the sea.
Kristina Eesmets says that intoxicated people should be prohibited from swimming. An intoxicated person does not assess their abilities correctly and can easily drown. If someone cannot be stopped from swimming while intoxicated, the emergency center should be called.
Parents must always supervise their children near water bodies. Eesmets mentions that there were more drownings in spring than in summer. In March, several fishermen drowned on ice. In total, there were seven drowning deaths in March.