Potential drowning accidents due to people flocking to the river to catch mussels
(Baonghean.vn) - To improve meals during the hottest days, people in many localities along Lam River, Giang River, and Gang River have flocked to the river to dive and catch mussels, causing the risk of drowning, especially for children.
 |
| During the hottest days, to improve their meals, people in Anh Son, Thanh Chuong, Nam Dan districts living along Lam, Giang, Gang rivers... invite each other to go to the river to catch mussels. In the photo: People of Hanh Lam commune (Thanh Chuong) catch mussels on Giang river. Photo: Huy Thu |
 |
| People often go in groups, even in some places the whole village rushes to the river to catch mussels with rudimentary tools such as baskets, trays, basins, and pots. They even go to deep water areas, one hand digging for mussels, the other holding a basin. In the photo: Mussel hunting on the Gang River, Thanh Ngoc Commune (Thanh Chuong) Photo: Huy Thu |
 |
| A woman in Hanh Lam commune (Thanh Chuong) was catching mussels on the Giang River and said: Compared to before, there are fewer mussels on the Giang River. To catch enough mussels for a meal for her family, she had to soak in the river for hours to search and rake for mussels. Photo: Huy Thu |
 |
| People often go to the river to catch mussels in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the harsh sunlight. Many women who go to catch mussels bring their children and grandchildren with them to the river. In the photo: Adults and children in Hanh Lam commune (Thanh Chuong) are catching mussels on the Giang river. Photo: Huy Thu |
 |
| To find river mussels in the era of "everyone looking for and choosing clean food", people who go to catch mussels also have to "have sore hands", because at the bottom of the river there are few mussels, but many rocks and gravel. After a while of trying to rake mussels by hand underwater, mussel catchers have to clean the sand in basins and baskets and pick out each mussel mixed in the jumble of rocks and gravel. Photo: Huy Thu |
 |
| For children, going with their parents and relatives to the river to catch mussels on hot days is a joy, however, some children are not fully equipped with life jackets and swimming buoys to prevent drowning accidents. Photo: Huy Thu |
 |
| Children going to catch mussels alone, without relatives accompanying them, or taking advantage of the opportunity to catch mussels while herding buffalo and cows along the river, in deep, fast-flowing rivers... always pose potential risks and accidents. Photo: Huy Thu |
 |
| Currently, river banks and riverbeds in most localities are concave and convex due to sand dredging, the impact of rain and floods... so some places are shallow, some are deep, and the flow is very erratic. Catching mussels in the middle of the river also poses potential risks, such as slipping, stepping on broken glass, broken pottery, and especially the risk of drowning. Photo: Huy Thu |
 |
| Although local authorities and organizations have erected signs warning of drowning and prohibiting swimming on deep, fast-flowing river banks, people are still negligent and subjective, ignoring the danger, and calmly go to the river to catch mussels as usual. Photo: Huy Thu |
 |
| Adults go to the river to catch mussels with children, sometimes busy with work, forget to pay attention to children, let them play freely on the river without supervision, also has unpredictable risks. In the photo: Children playing on the Giang River through Thanh Nho commune (Thanh Chuong). Photo: Huy Thu |
| Thanh Chuong people dive for mussels on Giang River. Video: Huy Thu |
