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Source: Photosport
Don't drink and swim is the message from Water Safety New Zealand (WSNZ) after statistics released today showed six people lost their lives in drowning incidents in October.
All the victims were males with four aged over 70 years and two incidents having alcohol as a contributing factor.
WSNZ General Manager Matt Claridge said people needed to understand the risk involved of combining alcohol consumption with swimming.
"Alcohol and water are a deadly combination. Any use of alcohol when planning on enjoying water based activity is a form of alcohol abuse. Simply put, it is stupid and dangerous," Claridge said.
The drowning toll to date for 2010 now stands at 65.
Claridge said despite this year's toll being lower than the yearly averages of previous years, it was disappointing "inappropriate behaviour" was the cause of the majority of this year's deaths.
"Any water based activity carries risk and people, especially those of advanced years, need to understand this and act accordingly. It is simply too dangerous to undertake recreational activity in the water alone when there is no one to hear a cry for help or assist in a emergency," Claridge said in a media release.
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