SONGKHLA, 2 March 2015 – More than 1,000 children younger than 15 years old drowned each year in Thailand.
Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Control in Songkhla Dr. Suwich Thammapalo said most of the deaths occurred during March to May when schools are closed for a semester break.
Around 1,243 children statistically died from drowning per year. That number also means as many as 3 children drowned each day.
The majority of them were children aged 5-9 years old. Dr. Suwich added that the number of boys killed is twice as high compared to girls.
According to the Department of Disease Control, children often drowned as a group as they could not swim or were trying to help the others.
Only 23% of children below 15 years old know how to swim while 4.4% others are aware of the correct approach to saving drowning people.
It is said that children will have a chance to survive 20 times higher if they take a swimming lesson. They will also learn the skills required to save other people and keep themselves alive in the water.
Parents are urged to enroll their children in the swimming class or call the Department of Disease Control at 1422 for more information on the lesson.
They are reminded that children should not be left alone near the water or allowed to go into the water at dark or even try to retrieve anything in it by themselves.
