On the afternoon of August 14th, 17 foreigners came to the beach near Zhenkou Village, Qianting Town, Zhangpu County, and were involved in the sea. As of 22: 00 on August 14th, the rescue work was all over, among which 11 people died after being rescued, and 6 people’s vital signs were stable.
The reporter learned from the beach near Jiangkou Village, Zhangpu County, Fujian Province that the warning line has been set up at the intersection entering the beach. On the beach where the incident happened, there was a warning sign that said, "Be safe against drowning, no swimming in the sea". Yang Huifang, a villager, was the first person who heard the call for help and went into the water to rescue him.
Yang Huifang told reporters that the rescue coincided with the high tide of the sea, and the waves were higher than the waves. When the sea retreated, people were easily taken into the sea. He took life-saving equipment and swam to the sea, saving one person first. Due to the large number of people who fell into the water, Yang Huifang swam back to the shore to find reinforcements and rescued five more people with the villagers.
Yang Huifang, a villager from Jiangkou Village, Zhangpu County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province:There are many undercurrents in the sea, which are basically complicated. For example, when the wave comes up (high tide), it seems that the water is pushed up, but after it comes up, the water is pulled back, and the water under it is pulled back. It is pushed up at the top and pulled back at the bottom. Normally, we locals are afraid to go down in this water.
Yang Huifang said that the tides are quite rough in July and August, and the tides are different every day. Even villagers with good water quality rarely go to the sea, and this place is not a local tourist attraction. According to the tidal forecast of Fujian Ocean Forecasting Station, on August 14th, Zhangpu County appeared at 4: 56 in the morning, and the tidal height was 1.87 meters. The second is now 17: 32 pm, and the tidal height is 1.68 meters.
What causes tourists to be caught in the waves?
The accident site is not a scenic spot, the undercurrent is dangerous, and local villagers rarely get into the water. Even if the local warning signs were set up at the seaside, they failed to stop these tourists from playing in the water. What happened then? What caused these tourists to be caught in the waves? According to Wang Gang, the captain of Xiamen Shuguang Rescue Team who participated in the rescue, it is very likely that the victims will encounter rip current, because the normal tide will not be so sudden and violent, and only rip current has such destructive power and injury that it can pull so many people into the deep sea at once. Topographically, this beach is also likely to produce rip current.
What is rip current? Can it be predicted? What are the characteristics?
Wang Gang, captain of Xiamen Shuguang Rescue Team, said that the cause of this tragedy is probably that the people in distress encountered it at that time."rip current". At present, the final investigation results have yet to be given by the government.
Rip current, scientifically known as "split current", is a narrow and strong current along the coast like a beam. It flows outward in a direction perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the coast. Rip current is extremely dangerous because of its extremely fast velocity and confusing surface calm.
Rip current velocity is mostly 0.3&mdash per second; 1 meter, the fastest can reach 3 meters per second, and its length can reach 30-mdash; 100 meters or even longer. The flow direction is almost perpendicular to the coastline, which can quickly drag strong swimmers into deep water and cause drowning.
Rip current will suddenly appear when people are unprepared. And it can happen in any weather conditions, and it will appear on many types of beaches. Unlike waves that make a loud noise due to violent impact, rip current will not attract people’s attention until people are trapped in it.
How to save yourself and rescue yourself when you meet rip current?
Wang Gang, Captain of Xiamen Shuguang Rescue Team:For rip current, there is no good way except prevention. Once you are involved in rip current, I suggest you relax, drift downstream and not struggle. Rip current normally has a roundabout area. If you are experienced and calm enough, you may get rid of this rip current, and then you can wait for the rescue. Don’t try your best to struggle against the current and go to the coast after encountering rip current. It is very difficult to do this by manpower.
It is best to drift backwards, because drifting backwards saves the most energy. According to the site situation, it cannot be fixed in any way. If the waves were very strong at that time, drifting upward was likely to choke water. You can use sideslip or breaststroke, a more energy-saving swimming method, to keep breathing normally and consume less energy.