Sat, Feb 11 2012

Bulgaria’s Black Sea reports 24 drownings so far this summer

Tue, Aug 18 2009 14:34 CET

byThe Sofia Echo Staff

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Bulgaria’s Black Sea reports 24 drownings so far this summer

Photo: Valentina Petrova

Eighteen people have drowned on Bulgaria’s Black Sea southern coast since the start of the 2009 summer tourist season, in each case on beaches where there were no lifeguards.
 
This is according to a report on August 18 2009 by Bulgarian news agency Focus, quoting the Bulgarian Red Cross office in the southern Black Sea city of Bourgas.
 
A day earlier, the Bulgarian Red Cross in Varna said that six people had drowned in the area since the start of the season, a death rate lower than in summer 2008.
 
Four people drowned on August 16, including two foreigners.
 
Along the southern coast, beaches that have lifeguards have seen red warning flags hoisted to keep swimmers out of the water in the face of unusually high waves and strong swells.
 
However, on August 17 the ban led to an alleged case of assault in Bourgas where a British tourist is said to have hit a lifeguard who barred him from disobeying the red flag. Lifeguards said that previously, tourists had subjected them to verbal abuse for being prevented from entering the sea when it was dangerous for swimming.
 

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Comments

Anonymous amanda Wed, Aug 19 2009 22:45 CET
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Albena beach this summer. A German man ignored the red flag and went into the sea. My husband and another man jumped in and tried to help him when they saw him struggling (followed by the life guard, who had a delayed reaction)
Sadly the man died.
Luckly on this occasion, no one else did whilst trying to save him.

Anonymous Cosmos Wed, Aug 19 2009 22:41 CET
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What service are you on about,the trouble with us is we do not take any shit with anybody yes the Brits are a hard bunch but i would have let him swim and if he drowned tough. The life guard did his job.

Anonymous Valeri Tue, Aug 18 2009 23:06 CET
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"... assault in Bourgas where a British tourist is said to have hit a lifeguard who barred him from disobeying the red flag."

What is it with the Brits?
I know that we are not personally responsible for our compatriot's actions, but seriously, before you start generalizing about us (in BG) please check how is it that your people make the headlines.
Every day it seems a Brit hits someone in Bulgaria.
Honestly, I suspect, at least some of the bad service is related to the negative reputation and expectations [...]

 Read the full comment from some tourists.


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