The prolonged cold spell has frozen Lithuania's lakes and rivers, prompting people to take a stroll on ice. They are putting themselves in grave danger, rescuers warn.
Rather than using a bridge, people in Vilnius have been crossing the Neris river on ice this week, prompting concerns from rescue services.
They warn that while ice on lakes can be thick enough to walk safely, rivers are an entirely different matter.
“River streams are very unequal, in some places it can be much stronger, forming whirlpools and preventing ice from forming,” says Giedrius Ruožkus, a firefighter.
“We say that river ice is not truly ice, it's just congestions of frozen snow that can sometimes support human weight, but sometimes not.”
Over this winter, fire and rescue services have responded to 28 emergency calls over drowning. Four people have drowned, four have been saved.
Last weekend alone, rescuers received five calls about people walking dangerously on ice in Vilnius.
Ruočkus says that if a person falls into a frozen river, there is little chance to save them.
“The person gets sucked in by a strong stream which is flowing under the ice,” he explains.
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