Beach season in Azerbaijan still hasn’t begun, but one person has already drowned

The official beach season in Azerbaijan has not yet begun, but one person has already drowned, while four have needed the assistance of a lifeguard.

• Fishing on Azerbaijan’s Caspian shore

• Op-ed: why are people drowning at Azerbaijan’s beaches?

An 18-year-old boy drowned while swimming in an inebriated state in the Mingechevir reservoir in the north-west of Azerbaijan, writes ona.az.

Four more people almost drowned in the Caspian Sea near Baku, but rescuers managed to pull them out.

Ministry of Emergency Situations employee Agshin Alili said that from June 1, rescuers have already begun working more actively, despite the fact that officially the beach season will open only from June 15, but in Azerbaijan one can already feel the summer heat, and people are drawn to the beaches.

To prevent accidents, special banners have been hung with swimming safety rules in buses that go to the beach.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations says that about 50 people drowned in the Caspian Sea and in the Kura River over the summer of 2018.