Saturday 17 July 2010

Russia's heat wave leads to record number of drunks drowning in lakes

Thousands of people have drowned in Russia as it goes through a record-breaking summer.

Sweltering heat has seen people take to lakes and rivers to cool off. However many have done so under the influence of alcohol.

Russia's emergency ministry said 400 people have drowned since the beginning of July and 1,244 drowned in June.

Another problem is a lack of lifeguards and safety equipment.

In a shocking case two teachers were charged with negligence this week after six children and an instructor drowned during a summer camp trip to a beach on the Sea of Azov in southern Russia.

They were swept away by strong currents after the teachers allowed them to swim without safety equipment. Investigators said one of the teachers was drunk.

The summer is the hottest in living memory. Temperatures in Moscow reached 33 degrees Celcius on Friday, breaking a 1938 record.

Last week the temperature in Saint Petersburg reached 38 degrees Celcius. The heat wave is forecast to continue till July 22.

An emergency drought situation has been declared in 19 of Russia's 83 regions with crops dying in an estimated 9.6 million hectares of fields.

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