DAMMAM: Coast guards saved a 31-year-old pregnant Arab woman from drowning at the Half Moon Beach in Alkhobar, Coast Guard spokesman Col. Muhammad bin Saad Al-Ghamdi said yesterday. The woman, whose identity was not revealed, was recuperating yesterday at King Fahd Military Hospital.
The woman had come with her family from Riyadh to spend a few days in the Eastern Province. Lured by the pleasant weather, she went down to swim in the sea near the Half Moon Beach at around noon and it was then that the accident occurred.
Giving a breakdown of seashore accidents in the past few years, Al-Ghamdi said 48 people, mostly children, were rescued last year, while two young men drowned in two separate cases. In 2006, a total of 20 people drowned while 444 people were rescued. In 2005, 18 people died while 278 were saved. In 2004, 15 people lost their lives in the sea while 396 were saved. In 2003, a total of 10 people drowned while 284 were saved.
Al-Ghamdi attributed the increase in the number of accidents on seashores to the recklessness of some people and their unwillingness to follow safety instructions.
“In most cases, children die due to negligence by parents. Young men meet with accidents as a result of overconfidence. They swim long distances out in the sea but are unable to return because of fatigue. Women usually die trying to save their children,” he said.
Al-Ghamdi asked seagoers to acquire sufficient knowledge of first aid, to know where to swim and to call 994 in cases of emergency. He also urged skiers and sailors to firmly follow safety instructions. “Prompt information containing a description of the exact location of incident helps the Coast Guard expedite the rescue operation,” he said.
Al-Ghamdi advised people who are not good swimmers and do not know rescue techniques against venturing to save people in danger. Rescuing drowning people can be dangerous because they are in a state of panic and can easily push their rescuers underwater, he warned.
