At the end of the month, the first foreign tourists will arrive in Bulgarian on charter flights and the beaches on the Black Sea coast will become more bustling with life. The presence of holidaymakers will have a good effect on the tourist sector experiencing a deep crisis due to the coronavirus epidemic. However, every vacation at sea also carries the risk of accidents. Unfortunately, even before the tourist season began, an unreasonable jump from the highest part of the Burgas bridge cost the lives of two children.

Accidents can happen even on the most well-guarded sea beaches. But while lifeguards on the coast almost always help for a happy ending, this is not the case in unguarded places. Most of the drownings on the Black Sea coast occur mainly where there are no rescuers and medical specialists on the spot, says Anton Nalbantov, director of the Water Rescue Service of the Bulgarian Red Cross.

"Of all 209 beaches on our Black Sea coast, an average of 110-115 beaches are guarded," he explains. "During last year’s season, the number of prevented water accidents was 3,700, while the number of drownings was 96 as 36 of them happened in the sea."

Regarding the tragedy near the Burgas bridge, Anton Nalbantov says that this is a classic case of non-compliance with basic safety rules. For years, the Bulgarian Red Cross has been trying to teach children how to protect themselves from accidents in the water and how to help each other. "Our goal is to reach each and every child and make them be friends with the water, but at the same time not overestimate their abilities," says the specialist, emphasizing the responsibility of parents. According to him, they are responsible for most fatal accidents with children due to their reduced control.

In addition to the risk of drowning, many other accidents might happen on the beach - seizures from excessive sun exposure, skin burns, jellyfish stings, leg cuts, hypertensive crises, and sometimes fractures of the cervical vertebrae due to jumping upside down from rocks. Many of these accidents happen after alcohol and drugs use.

"If the beach is guarded, people do not need to use their rescue skills, especially in rip current and high waves”, advises Anton Nalbantov. “There are rescuers and a medical team on site to provide professional assistance. But even if they witness a water accident on an unguarded beach, they should not help through direct contact, as in most cases the number of victims doubles. However, they can be useful from a distance, throwing an object - a belt or, in extreme cases, a garment."

The medical team on the beach is obliged to intervene not only after an accident in the water, but also in all other critical cases. Sometimes, however, the injured person needs to be transported by ambulance, and then first aid is life-saving. In such cases, the rescuers come to the front line, as they use techniques to resuscitate the victim by mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and heart massage side by side with the doctor.

The main advice that the head of the Water Rescue Service gives at the beginning of the summer season is to choose guarded bathing places.

"Once we are there, we must follow the rules of water safety”, he says. “This applies to both the flag signalling and the instructions from the boards placed at the entrances to the beaches when and under what conditions to enter the sea and with what inflatable objects. It is also necessary to obey the orders of the rescuers and not to argue with them, to board water vessels with life jackets on, not to enter the water after a heavy meal and after using alcohol or drugs. And if we follow these rules, we will have a happy, fun and healthy summer. "

English Rossitsa Petcova