On September 26, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Since the beginning of the mass berry and mushroom picking season, official searches for people lost in the forests of the Vitebsk region have been conducted at least 25 times, the information and public relations department of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee informed a BELTA correspondent. Fortunately, most of the missing persons are found. However, two people are still listed as missing. In early July, a 78-year-old resident of Vitebsk got lost in the forests of Polotsk, and in the Miory district, a 58-year-old Minsk resident, who came here to visit and pick mushrooms, has been searched for since September 15. Not a single request for assistance in searching for unfortunate pickers goes unnoticed. Rescuers come to the aid of police officers, and volunteers join in. For example, a grandmother with her three-year-old granddaughter was searched for in the Orsha forests for about eight hours by almost three dozen people and several units of equipment. The search is always conducted free of charge, while in neighboring Baltic countries, only relatives of those lost in the forests are engaged in searching for them. According to employees of the internal affairs bodies and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the number of requests for assistance in searching for people lost in the forest this year is several times higher than in previous years. In this regard, they appeal to all residents of the region and their guests with a request to be careful and attentive when going into the forest, to remember that an extra bucket of mushrooms or berries is not worth a human life. When going into the forest, you must take care of your own safety and strictly follow the rules of conduct in the forest. Thus, you should first inform your relatives and friends about your trip, take a charged mobile phone, water, matches, a raincoat, a whistle with you, and wear a bright jacket when going into the forest. -0-

BELTA