Malaysian Fire and Rescue official have released their annual statistics on drowning deaths for 2018, and officials report over 300 cases throughout the country.
This figure is nearly double that of victims who succumb to death in fires over the last year, with the number of drowning cases skyrocketing during a particularly heavy monsoon season over the last few months. Flooding was a particular concern, with officials pointing out that they were drafting a contingency plan in conjunction with the National Disaster Management Agency, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, the Department of Meteorology, as well as the Public Works Department to monitor rising waters, and issue subsequent alerts to the public.
Unfortunately, several cases this year were traced back to ill-informed individuals taking advantage of rising waters to fish, and subsequently drowning in the uncertain currents.
Officials raised the alarm earlier this year, when within the first quarter of 2018, 65 individuals had already drowned. Fire and Rescue officials highlighted the lack of water safety knowledge as contributing to the high number. At the time, many community activists urged popular swimming spots to carry more signs warning individuals of the potential dangers of the waters.
