Three Cardiac Arrests in a Day at 'Undesignated Beaches' Raises Safety Concerns

[Anchor]

Many people deliberately seek out quiet spots when heading out for water activities. In Gangwon Province, three people were rushed to hospitals in cardiac arrest in a single day at an undesignated beach in Goseong. Because immediate rescue is difficult, caution is strongly advised.

Reporter Jo Jaegeun has the details.

[Reporter]

At a beach in Goseong, Gangwon Province, around 2:10 PM, five vacationers enjoying the water fell into danger.

Three of them managed to get out on their own, but among the remaining two people in their 50s, one was rescued by safety personnel dispatched from a nearby beach about 500 meters away, and the other was rescued by a Korea Coast Guard helicopter, but both were already in cardiac arrest.

The beach where the accident occurred is located in front of a condominium operated by the Armed Forces Welfare Corps. It had operated as an official beach until last year, but gave up its official beach designation this year.

Banners urging safety were hung and rescue equipment was available on the beach, but they could not prevent the accidents.

As there were no lifeguards stationed there, responses to the accidents were inevitably delayed.

[Bae Seong-jin / Hwajinpo Beach Safety Team Leader: (At the moment of rescue) he was already in cardiac arrest. So we pulled that person out and loaded him onto a jet ski, and when we came out, the 119 rescue services had just arrived and they performed CPR....]

Around 4:00 PM, at another undesignated beach in Goseong, a person in their 20s snorkeling was also rushed to the hospital in cardiac arrest.

This beach is likewise not designated as an official swimming beach.

[Lee Moo-yeol / Goseong County Office Tourism Facilities Team Leader: (At designated beaches,) we set up swimming boundary lines and maritime safety personnel control swimmers so they do not go beyond the limit, and if a water accident or any other incident occurs, we can respond immediately....]

Over the past three summers, a total of 81 safety accidents occurred at undesignated beaches in Gangwon and Gyeongbuk provinces, claiming 30 lives.

(Video by Kim Dae-chul | Photos courtesy of Sokcho Coast Guard and Gangwon Fire Headquarters)

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