Black series of drownings on the beaches of Dakar
Yoff beach, Senegal.
RFI / Théa Ollivier
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The beaches are taken by storm with the onset of the hot weather.
President Macky Sall described as "
intolerable
" the death of a dozen young people last weekend in Malika, on the outskirts of the capital.
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With our correspondent in Dakar,
Charlotte Idrac
The Head of State asks the government and communities to take "
urgent measures
".
For its part, the association of lifeguards and lifeguards has recorded 36 deaths by drowning in less than a month.
At a press conference on Wednesday June 16, she called for more resources to secure the beaches.
At the end of the afternoon at the BCEAO beach in Yoff, an orange flag was hoisted at the first aid station.
Awa has just risen from the water after a refreshing bath.
“
Yeah, she's really good.
I am very careful, but these days we see a lot of recklessness.
Especially in families.
Children of 2, 3 or 4 years, we let them go alone in the water, it is not normal.
"
In the Dakar region, access to the ocean is officially prohibited on more than ten beaches.
But that is not a solution, according to Ibrahima Fall, president of the association of lifeguards and lifeguards.
“
Here in Dakar, the leisure areas are now privatized, so people are forced to fall back towards the big coast where it is dangerous, with its big waves and its baïnes
[powerful currents which carry off, editor's note].
But we can delimit swimming areas, send lifeguards, strengthen the device.
"
According to the association, some 80 lifeguards are deployed on the 26 authorized beaches in the region.
For Cheikh Fall, one of them, the emphasis must be on prevention: “
Often the victims are young people between 15 and 20 years old.
Now we have programs that will allow us to go to schools to talk about the dangers of the sea.
”
Lifeguards, firefighters, local authorities: all call for vigilance in the perspective of the summer holidays in August.
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Senegal