Caution! Thin ice!

Every year, thin ice becomes the cause of various incidents. Most often, children who are walking near frozen bodies of water without parental supervision, and fishermen who venture onto unstable and treacherous ice at their own risk, become involved.

For example, on January 26, 2024, a tragedy occurred on Lake Boginskoye in the Braslav district. It is known that on January 26, a man born in 1993 was relaxing with a friend. Late in the evening of the same day, he decided to go home, taking a shortcut across the lake. His sister first became concerned on January 27 when he did not respond. The next day, rescuers received a report of the discovery of the body of a young man in the water, 70 meters from the shore. From the icy water, at a depth of about five meters, OSVOD workers recovered the body of a 30-year-old resident of the village of Bogino. The primary cause of such tragedies on bodies of water is the personal carelessness of citizens regarding safety.

On March 1, 2024, rescuers received a report of people in distress on Lake Protas near the village of Chernozemye in the Braslav district. The men had arrived from the capital the previous morning to go fishing. They had previously measured the ice – according to them, it was about 15 cm thick – and only then went out to fish, set their bait, and returned to shore. After lunch, they went out on the ice again to check their catch. Suddenly, one of them went under the water. His companion helped him get out, but at the same moment, they both fell into an ice hole. After getting out onto the ice, the men did not dare to move further and called rescuers. Upon arrival at the scene, it was established that the two men were on the ice about 150 meters from the shore. Rescuers, using a rescue board, reached the men, born in 1980 and 1976, and brought them to shore one by one. The rescued men received medical assistance.

Ice at least 10 centimeters thick is considered safe for humans. The strength of ice is weakened at river mouths and tributaries. Ice is unstable in areas of fast currents, springs, and drainage, as well as in areas with aquatic vegetation, near trees, and reeds.

If the air temperature above 0 degrees Celsius persists for more than three days, the ice strength decreases by 25%. Ice strength can be determined visually: transparent ice of blue or green hue is strong, while ice of white color has half the strength. Ice with gray, matte white, or yellow hues is the most unreliable. Such ice breaks without warning creaking.