Consecutive tragic drowning incidents
According to statistics, from the beginning of 2026 to now, Thanh Hoa province has recorded 8 drowning incidents, killing 9 children. Most of the incidents occurred when children went swimming in rivers, seas, ponds and lakes without anyone watching. Among them, there were extremely painful incidents when both sisters (older sister 3 years old, younger sister 1 year old) drowned.
On January 18, at the Cua Dat canal, Quy Loc commune, Thanh Hoa province, a drowning incident occurred, killing a 7-year-old child. On March 19, a 13-year-old student while playing in the Mau Khe riverbank area (Thieu Quang commune) drowned. Following that, on March 20, another drowning incident also occurred at the Kenh Nam River (Tho Phu commune), killing a 13-year-old student.
On April 1st, a group of 4 6th grade students in Truc Lam ward, Thanh Hoa province invited each other to swim in the Hai Binh sea area. During the swimming, 2 children (both 12 years old) tragically drowned.
On April 9, another drowning incident occurred in Ngoc Son ward, when N.V.H. (16 years old, residing in Thanh Binh residential group, Ngoc Son ward) and a group of friends went to the shrimp pond area in the area to swim, leading to death.
Not stopping there, on April 11, L.H. T. A. (16 years old, residing in Thieu Trung commune) and a group of friends went to the canal bank to play, slipped and fell into the water, went missing and was found after many days.
A day later (April 12), two children L.K. K. C. (3 years old) and L.K. K. A. (1 year old), biological sisters, residing in Mo 2 village, Xuan Du commune, led each other to the stream area behind the house to bathe when relatives did not know. When their parents went looking for them, they discovered that the two children had drowned. Although they were taken to the medical facility for emergency treatment, both did not survive.
The most recent drowning incident was on April 13, killing N.D. L. (8th grade student, Hoang Duc 2 Primary and Secondary School, Hoang Hoa commune).
Urgently implement many solutions
According to functional sectors of Thanh Hoa province, in 2025, the whole province recorded 17 drowning cases, killing 21 children, being one of the 4 localities (along with Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Son La) with the highest number of child drowning cases in the country.
Faced with the increasing trend of child drowning and complicated developments, Thanh Hoa Provincial Police have directed professional units to coordinate with local police to strengthen propaganda and warning of risks, especially for young children; and at the same time organize signing commitments in residential areas and schools; review and plant warning signs in dangerous areas.
In localities, People's Committees of wards and communes have also coordinated with the Youth Union, commune and ward police forces to organize campaigns to propagate and remind people and plant warning signs in dangerous places, in order to prevent drowning accidents.
According to a representative of the leadership of Dao Duy Tu Ward People's Committee, Thanh Hoa province, in the face of the complicated situation of drowning, local functional forces have organized a campaign to propagate and plant warning signs for drowning prevention and control in areas of lakes, dams, rivers, and streams in the area.
During the implementation process, working groups directly went to high-risk areas to remind people and students not to gather to swim at dangerous spots; and at the same time installed warning signs, prohibiting swimming in deep and dangerous water areas.
This activity aims to promptly warn and raise people's awareness, especially young children, about the potential risks of drowning in the prolonged hot weather, especially in the upcoming summer" - a representative of Dao Duy Tu Ward People's Committee shared.
