A fisherman drowned in Novolukoml

March 21, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. A fisherman drowned in Novolukoml, Marina Fando, spokesperson for the Ministry of Emergency Situations, told a BELTA correspondent. A report about a drowning person on Lake Lukomlskoye was received by the Chashniki District Department of Emergency Situations yesterday around 6:00 PM from a fisherman who witnessed the incident. Responding emergency response units found an ice hole measuring 1x1 m, near which a fishing rod and a hat were found. The distance from the shore at this point is about 250 m, the ice thickness is 10-15 cm, and the depth is 6 m. According to the eyewitness, the fisherman was near the ice hole since 9:00 AM and fell through the ice around 5:40 PM. The man tried to help him but could not get closer than 70 m to the drowning person due to the collapsing ice. Ministry of Emergency Situations personnel, together with employees of the Chashniki OSVOD (Water Rescue Service), constructed and installed a plank bridge on the ice for the safe submersion of divers and search operations. At 8:06 PM, the drowned pensioner, born in 1940 and residing in Novolukoml, was found and recovered ashore. The first victim of melting ice in the Vitebsk region on March 6 was a six-year-old girl from Lepel district. Ministry of Emergency Situations and OSVOD employees urge residents of the region to pay the utmost attention to safety measures when near water bodies and never leave children unattended. -0-