31 individuals drowned in Syria’s Euphrates River during 2021
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – During 2021, the Initial Response Team in the city of Raqqa, north Syria, has recovered 31 bodies of people drowned in the Euphrates River, an official of the Initial Response Team said, on Tuesday.
During 2021, divers of the team pulled 31 bodies of drowned people out of the Euphrates and rescued 20 people who were about to drown in the Euphrates River and irrigation channels, the official in the team, Muhammad al-Hamoud, told North Press.
Drowning incidents in the Euphrates River successively occur, mostly in summer when people swim in the river due to high temperature, reporting casualties of children and young people.
In 2018, the Initial Response Team was formed in Raqqa city, it is one of the most working teams on the ground in the city, that contributed greatly to return life into the city by its ambulance and firefighting crews, divers and the body recovery team. Their works continue despite the lack of support and the harsh weather conditions with simple primitive tools in a step to restore life for a city that suffered a lot during the war.
Since the beginning of its work, the Initial Response Team has been able to exhume more than 6,100 bodies found in 28 graves that the Islamic State Organization (ISIS) left, scattered in the city of Raqqa and its villages.
During 2021, the fire brigade of the Initial Response Team extinguished 365 fires which resulted in material loses only, according to al-Hamoud.
The team also treated about 268 cases, he added.
The team dealt with different types of fires including those of fuel diversity, agriculture crops, and home fires, al-Hamoud noted.
The Initial Response Team went through several training courses during 2021 to avoid civilian casualties during rescue and firefighting operations, the administrator said.