A 24-year-old man drowned in the lake in “Valea Morilor” Park of the capital city on Tuesday evening. He was riding a catamaran on the lake. At one point, he decided to jump into the water, but was unable to swim to the shore. His body was pulled out by lifeguards.

Contacted by IPN for details, press officer of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations Liliana Puşcasu said that when they saw that the young man jumped from the catamaran into the water and could not swim to the shore, the lifeguards of “Valea Morilor” Water Rescue Station hurried to help him. Initially, the young man was nowhere to be found and the lifeguards sought help from rescuers of the Inspectorate. Eventually, they were able to find the young man’s body.

The Chisinau Police Division’s press officer Natalia Stati told IPN that the police were notified at around 06:00 p.m. “All the specialized services immediately went to the scene to establish the circumstances of the case. It was established that a young man jumped from the catamaran, sank underwater and didn’t emerge from the lake. The medical examiner didn’t find traces of violent death on the body. The body was taken to the Forensic Center. A criminal investigation into this case was initiated to establish all the circumstances,” said Natalia Stati.

Rescuers urge the population to strictly observe the safety rules on the water and around water pools and avoid areas that are not equipped for swimming and don’t have rescue stations. Swimming at night and in bad weather is prohibited. People are warned not to consume alcoholic beverages before entering the water. Special attention should be paid to the safety of minors during swimming.

According to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, 12 people, including a child, have drowned in water pools in the country so far this year.