In Polotsk, a rowing coach rescued a man who fell through the ice

In Polotsk, a coach from the Vitebsk Regional Center for Olympic Reserve in Rowing saved a man who had fallen through the ice. This was reported to BELTA by the Ministry of Emergency Situations spokesperson Vitaly Novitsky.

"On November 29, at 14:08, Polotsk rescuers received a report from an eyewitness via the '101' number about a drowning person on the Western Dvina River near the road bridge. Ministry of Emergency Situations units arrived at the scene within 3 minutes. It was established that a young man born in 1990 went onto the ice, according to the victim, for a photo shoot and fell into an ice hole about 30 m from the shore. He could not get out on his own and began to call for help," the spokesperson said.

Before the Ministry of Emergency Situations units arrived, he was rescued from the water by a coach from the sports institution "Vitebsk Regional Center for Olympic Reserve in Rowing," who was on the riverbank. Hearing the cries for help, the man took a stepladder, ran to the drowning person, and with its help, pulled the victim onto the ice and then to the shore. The young man was handed over to an ambulance crew and hospitalized with a diagnosis of general hypothermia.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations noted that this was not the only incident on thin ice over the past weekend. On the same day, a report was received about a man who disappeared into an ice hole on the Zaslavl Reservoir. The fisherman was found drowned approximately 500 m from the shore. The ice thickness was only 4 cm.

Rescuers-firefighters warn that by venturing onto unstable ice, a person risks their life. Fishermen most often appear in the Ministry of Emergency Situations reports. Special attention should also be paid to minors. Adults should remind them about the treacherous nature of the first ice. Ice at least 20 cm thick is considered relatively safe.