Tragedy! 13 and 17-year-old siblings drowned in Lake Balaton
On Sunday, two siblings tragically died in Lake Balaton at Alsóbélatelep.
Lake Balaton is a beautiful summer destination to visit. Even though prices have brutally increased this summer due to the pandemic, there are still many hidden spots that will not make you break the bank. Alsóbélatelep is one of these villages on the southern side of the lake.
Unfortunately, the summer vacation at the little village turned into a tragedy for a family.
The parents arrived at the lake with their three children the day before. The smallest of them stayed at the shore with the parents while the older siblings went into the water on two beach mattresses. The parents were fully aware, even checked on them from sitting on the shore.
The weather was great, the sun was shining, and the water’s surface was almost entirely smooth.
As telex.hu writes, someone on a SUP saw two beach mattresses in the water, around 400 metres from the shore. Then
he found the floating body of the younger child of 13 years old.
He took the boy out of the water so that the lifeguards and the ambulance could help him. Unfortunately, it was too late, and they could not save his life.
It soon became clear that the older sibling was also missing. Four boats were trying to find him with a police helicopter helping from the air, said Sándor Bagyó, president of the Hungarian Special Services of Lifeguards.
A helicopter is used in these rescue missions to find the victim faster. If his lungs do not fill up with water, he floats on the surface. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
The 17-year-old child was found underwater with the help of ultra-sound, about 400-500 metres from the shores.
According to szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu, the younger sibling was found at half-past four. His brother’s lifeless body appeared a minute after seven in the evening.
As of now, it is not clear what happened to the boys, as no one saw how they ended up in the water.
Bagyó found it important to mention that on the southern shores of Lake Balaton, the slowly deepening water creates the illusion of safety. As opposed to the northern part, where tourists are used to the gradually deepening lakebed. In the south, its level does not change for quite a while, however,
at around 300-400 metres, there is a sudden drop from 60 centimetres to up to 3 metres.
It would also be a good solution to put on a life vest or any object helping to float on the water for those who are not good swimmers, he added.
After questioning the parents, it became clear that
the swimming capabilities of the poor kids led to the tragedy.
“They could swim to a certain extent, but according to the parents, they could not do so in a deep water for a longer time.”, added Bagyó.
He also highlighted the importance of signalling these specific spots to avoid accidents. Even though most of Lake Balaton’s beaches have buoys that mark the end of the safe area, most people tend to ignore them. Besides, a buoy on its own can not save anyone. Personal feelings of responsibility and precaution are both needed.
Read alsoTragedy! 13 and 17-year-old siblings drowned in Lake Balaton
Source: telex.hu, szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu
Inflatable devices have been banned from our Federal and Provincial parks for decades for this reason. There is a false sense of safety on the part of the users and too often their use ends in tragedy. Too bad these people had to learn the hard way.
I am not a good swimmer, I didn’t learn to swim until I was in my teens. My daughter started swimming lessons at 9 months and has been described by a scuba instructor as “a mermaid”. I think one of the best investments is to have your children learn to swim well. It’s great exercise too. I’m always sad when I learn of kids drowning because I feel it is so preventable.