FREE STATE. – Police in the Thabo Mofutsanyana district are warning parents and guardians to protect children from drowning after two people recently drowned in separate incidents, with divers recovering their bodies in the QwaQwa and Clocolan areas. The search continues for a seventeen-year-old boy who allegedly drowned in Lindley. Police warn that children and young people often underestimate the dangers of rivers and dams, particularly during warm weather when they go into the water to cool off.
AO Mmako Mophiring of the Thabo Mofutsanyana district's communication and liaison section says some children visit rivers to fish, but later go into the water to cool off. Strong currents, unknown depths and other underwater hazards can be life-threatening even in water that appears calm.
With the start of police Safer Festive Season operations, parents are urged to know where their children are, supervise their activities and warn them not to swim in unfamiliar or unsafe water. Children who cannot swim must never attempt it in rivers or dams. Communities are also asked to discourage dangerous swimming practices and report emergencies immediately so rescue services can respond.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
