China News Service, March 15th. According to New Zealand Tianwei.com, the latest statistics show that in the past five years, the number of deaths from beach drowning in New Zealand has increased by 18% compared with the previous five years, and it has become the leading cause of death in leisure accidents.
The report shows that about 36 people die from drowning in New Zealand every year. Swimming, boating, and accidental falling into the water are the main causes of drowning accidents. Men account for 87% of the deaths.
Matt William, CEO of Surf Life Saving, wants the government to invest more resources to prevent tragedies.
He said that the current government funding is insufficient to meet public safety education.
Another previous data showed that over the past ten years, more than 300 people have drowned in New Zealand. On average, New Zealand’s drowning death rate is the highest in the world, 70% higher than Australia, and it is on the rise.
Between 2009 and 2019, 320 people died of drowning in New Zealand.
Among them, surf beaches kill the most people, accounting for 39%, followed by rock beaches (15%) and ports (14%).
Auckland has the highest number of drowning deaths, with 96 deaths in the past ten years and 9 deaths in Piha Beach alone.
There are many reasons for this, including New Zealand surrounded by sea, high participation in water sports and relatively low water temperature.
In order to reduce drowning deaths, Water Safety NZ and Surf Life Saving NZ frequently issued reminders, calling on water sports activists to take preventive measures and make more informed decisions. However, the situation has not improved, and many people still do not listen to the advice, leading to tragedies. .
Now, drowning has become the leading cause of death in recreational accidents.
Sheridan Bruce, head of Water Safety New Zealand, said that those in distress hardly have a second chance.
Rescue organizations hope that people must take good care of their safety before entering the water, including wearing a life jacket, which is as natural as wearing a seat belt.
New Zealand kayaker Keira Amelie grew up by the sea, "I have saved a lot of people." She said that she knows the sea very well and joined the seaside rescue team when she was 14 years old. Even so, she herself was in Distress at Muriwai Beach.
At that time, she was unable to cope with the 3.5-meter-high waves and could not swim back to the beach, and was eventually rescued by an inflatable boat.
"This shows that no matter how good you swim, you can't beat the sea." Amelie said. She summarized a few key points, including figuring out the sea conditions, asking the lifeguard about the situation, swimming between the signal flags, going in the water together, and letting her companions know where you are going. Also, do not drink alcohol before entering the water.