The tragedy occurred on December 17, when a 57-year-old fisherman drowned. On Lake Uroda near the village of Zaslavki, Lepel District, the man, while moving towards the shore, fell through the ice about 45 meters from the bank.

The tragedy occurred on December 17, when a 57-year-old fisherman drowned. On Lake Uroda near the village of Zaslavki, Lepel District, the man, while moving towards the shore, fell through the ice about 45 meters from the bank.

As it turned out later, the deceased man was fishing on the lake with his companions. Moving towards the shore, the 57-year-old fisherman fell through the ice. Seeing this, one of his companions began to move towards the drowning man to try to help him, however, he himself fell through the ice but managed to get out and reach the shore. He then reported the incident to the rescuers.EMERCOM units immediately departed for the reported location. Upon arrival, nothing was observed on the surface of the water. Rescuers conducted a survey of the presumed drowning site, but the drowned person was not found.

Search operations continued on December 18, during which the drowned citizen was found about 45 meters from the shore, at a depth of 5 meters.

Rescuers' reports are almost daily filled with headlines about drowned fishermen who, despite numerous warnings, continue to play with fate in pursuit of another trophy. To avoid becoming a victim of thin ice, one should always follow simple rules of conduct, and most importantly – do not go out on thin ice.

Every adult and child should remember these simple rules. Recently, adults have been getting into such situations more often than children, especially winter fishing enthusiasts. At the same time, children must clearly understand that going onto the ice is prohibited under any circumstances!

So, before going onto the ice, you should put on a life jacket, take a rope 1.5-2m long and a pole (board), anything that can help you stay afloat, check the place where the ice meets the shore – there may be through-holes, snowdrifts covering them. Remember, the ice strength is weakened in river mouths due to currents.

What to do if you fall through the ice:

– You should spread your arms wide along the edges of the ice to avoid submerging your head. If possible, move to the edge of the ice hole where the current does not pull you under. Try not to break the edge, without sudden

to move, get onto the ice by crawling on your chest and alternately pulling your legs out onto the surface, spreading them wide, adjust your body to the widest possible support area. After getting out of the hole, under no circumstances stand on your feet, but roll over and crawl towards the shore.

If you see someone has fallen through the ice:

– immediately shout to them that you are coming to help, report the incident to rescuers by phone at 101 or 112. Try to help the drowning person, but remember that the risk must be justified and, if you realize that there is nothing at hand like a pole, board, or thick scarf, do not risk your life, wait for the rescuers to arrive.

If you are confident in your abilities, you should crawl up to the person and, 3-4 m away from them, offer (throw) them a means of rescue – a pole, scarf, etc. Having given the victim a makeshift tool, pull them onto the ice and crawl away from the danger zone towards the shore and wait for rescuers.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations urges: do not neglect safety rules, and then an emergency situation will never happen to you.