Last week, lifeguards on Lithuania’s beach were busy dragging swimmers from Baltic waters who continued to ignore safety warnings.
Red flags prohibiting swimming were raised on the beaches of Klaipėda, Palanga and Neringa. Despite the risks, people continued entering the dangerous waters. In Palanga alone, 16 people had to be rescued from the sea.
“We had so much work to do that we were all running around sweating,” Jonas Pirožnikas, the chief of the Palanga lifeguards, told LRT.lt.
Six people were issued police protocols for violating rules – swimming when it is prohibited may result in a fine, because it is treated as a public order offence.
“It is difficult for me to talk about it,” Pirožnikas said. Despite driving along the beach and informing people via a loudspeaker about the dangers, beachgoers continued going for a swim and later needed rescuing, he added.
“For example, a mother was standing on the shore and watching over her 6 or 7-year-old child swimming in the sea. You [reprimand them], and they laugh and that’s it,” said Pirožnikas.
“I was so angry – I haven’t seen so many fools in one weekend in 17 years,” he added.
Over the weekend, a dead person was pulled from the sea near Palanga. However, the cause of death is still being investigated.
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