Tragically, 29 individuals, including two children, have drowned in the Leningrad Region’s bodies of water since the beginning of the year. This information was released on June 9 by Alexey Zybcev, the Chief State Inspector for Small Vessels of the Leningrad Region, during a press conference.

Authorities have reported a total of 36 incidents on the region’s waterways since January.

Zybcev stated that 22 people have been successfully rescued from these incidents.

A significant number of drownings, 17 out of the 29 total, occurred between mid-March and mid-April.

According to Zybcev, approximately half of these incidents involved individuals venturing onto the ice for various reasons, such as checking ice thickness or attempting to rescue animals.

In comparison, 50 people drowned in the Leningrad Region during the entire summer of 2024.