The drowning of the young Emeril Mumtaz in the Aare River sparked a state of panic and international criticism. Although the son of Indonesian presidential candidate Ridwan Kamel is only one of many drowning in Swiss rivers every year, many drownings could be prevented if basic river swimming safety rules were followed, explains Ritu Abscherli, managing director of the Swiss Rescue AssociationExternal link . On average, around 46 people have died in Switzerland each year over the past 10 years and more than 80 percent of them are men. At the international level, the risk of dying by drowning for men is three times higher than that of women. What are the causes? Rito Abbacherli, managing director of the Swiss Rescue Association, says the reason may be related to differences in exposure. It is likely that men all over the world are putting themselves more frequently and possibly more at risk of drowning. This may be due to occupational reasons (eg working as a fisherman or seaman). It may be related to men's tendency to take more risks (for example reckless jumping in water or swimming under the influence of alcohol) Fourteen percent of the victims of drowning in Switzerland are foreigners, but these constitute more than a quarter of the total population, meaning that the drowning rate in this category is not above the average. If we look at the statistics more accurately, are tourists, foreigners or people of immigrant background at greater risk than others? That's right, 14% of drowning victims do not hold Swiss citizenship. We cannot know if these people are foreign nationals living in Switzerland or if they are tourists. But you are right, the drowning rate in this category is not great. The majority of drowning victims are Swiss who have grown up here and have known the nature of water since childhood. However, in some cases, there are specific reasons for drowning among foreigners: for example, because they do not know the nature of the water well or their swimming skills are not as good as in Switzerland, where there is a somewhat institutional nature of swimming lessons and procedures safety. In any case, many deaths could be avoided, if rules of conduct to protect against drowning were followed. What are the rules of conduct? If you've never swam in a river before, you should find someone who does so regularly and can give you advice and support. In general, you should not swim alone in the river but accompanied by someone, and you should take something buoyant with you, which you can also separate from the body. The Swiss Lifeguard Society has set six rules for swimming in general and six rules for swimming in the river. It is clear that many do not know that it is not necessary to go down to any point in the river and that there are certain places where it is possible to go down for a swim.. Exactly, it is very important to know this and to determine the disembarkation point in advance preferably from the bank where the disembarkation sites are located, and most importantly to know the exit points before disembarking which are often clearly marked. In Switzerland, there are also swimming maps available online, identifying these locations. It is also important not to get off at the last exit point, but to strive to get off at the first. The following exit points should be considered as backup for extra security: i.e. if I can't exit at the first point, there is a second and third point. These are the things that you have to find out before you go swimming in the river. As mentioned, this experience can be gained by going with experienced swimmers or swimmers. The ability to swim is not enough. It is forbidden to go to the river as a tourist without extensive experience and without knowledge of the rivers or simply swim with inexperienced people

source:swissinfo