KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Twenty-eight people drowned in Ukraine in just one day, pushing the overall number of drownings to more than 1,000 so far this year, the Emergency Situations Ministry said Monday. In June, 119 bathers drowned, it said, with 28 drownings reported on Sunday alone in the country of 50 million.
Ukrainians often swim in unguarded places, and a recent heat wave combined with the lack of air conditioning in most private homes and offices has driven more people to seek relief in the country’s rivers, reservoirs and ponds. Temperatures in the capital Kiev have hovered around 30-35 C (86-95 F) for the past two weeks.
