On Tuesday, rescuers helped two children who were on the ice of the Daugava in Riga, the State Fire and Rescue Service (GPRS) reported to the LETA agency.
Using a rescue board, the children were brought to shore and handed over to the Municipal Police officers.
The State Fire and Rescue Service (GPRS) urges parents and educational institutions to discuss safety rules near water bodies with children, as a large river like the Daugava is not yet fully covered with ice at this time. Children cannot objectively assess the thickness and strength of the ice, so even in seemingly safe places, there is a high risk of falling through the ice.
The ice cover on water bodies forms unevenly — it may be thicker near the shores, while thinner in the center of the water body. Additionally, the ice will be thinner in areas with currents, underwater springs, tributaries, reeds, and near bridge crossings. Also, snow that has fallen in some places may create a misleading impression that the ice is thick enough to support a person's weight. Therefore, even during a prolonged period of low temperatures, the ice cover remains uneven, and the risk of falling through persists, rescuers emphasize.
In the past 24 hours, the service received 47 calls — 11 for fire extinguishing, 22 for rescue operations, and 14 calls turned out to be false.
