Slovenia: Hope of finding survivors fading fast

The chances of finding 5 people still missing after a kayaking accident in Slovenia in which a further 8 people lost their lives on Thursday are fading.

Izvor: B92

Saturday, 05.07.2008.

14:35

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The chances of finding 5 people still missing after a kayaking accident in Slovenia in which a further 8 people lost their lives on Thursday are fading. Despite the fact that 140 lifeguards and divers, more than 30 fire brigades and 64 police officers, together with a special unit of police dogs are involved in the search for the five missing, hope of finding any of them has virtually disappeared. Slovenia: Hope of finding survivors fading fast Eight people died in the accident near the Blanca hydro-electric plant near Sevnica, including Senica Mayor and MP Kristijan Janc, who was one of the organizers of the excursion, and other senior local government officials, some of whose bodies have already been identified. The accident happened when the kayaks were “sucked in“ by the hydro-electric siphon, with one kayak snapping in two, and the other capsizing. Because the syphon is till under construction, rescue workers have had trouble searching the riverbed, which is full of building materials. The search is becoming even more dangerous due to the strong current and whirlpools caused by the construction of all four dams. That is why the rescue teams are trying to raise the water level in the area where the search is under way. Slovenian officials and experts are already saying that it was an ill-judged and dangerous decision to go kayaking in that area. The victims were not even wearing lifejackets, despite kayaking through what are classed as wild waters, while their kayaks were deemed completely inappropriate for such a crossing, and would, under normal circumstances, have been prohibited. So far only one of the fourteen participants sucked in to the dam current has been found alive, while those in the third boat survived because they stayed in the shallows. All ceremonies that had been scheduled to mark the end of the Slovenian EU presidency were canceled, while messages of condolence have been arriving from neighboring countries, the EU, and its institutions. Rescue teams at the scene (FoNet)

Slovenia: Hope of finding survivors fading fast

Eight people died in the accident near the Blanca hydro-electric plant near Sevnica, including Senica Mayor and MP Kristijan Janc, who was one of the organizers of the excursion, and other senior local government officials, some of whose bodies have already been identified.

The accident happened when the kayaks were “sucked in“ by the hydro-electric siphon, with one kayak snapping in two, and the other capsizing. Because the syphon is till under construction, rescue workers have had trouble searching the riverbed, which is full of building materials. The search is becoming even more dangerous due to the strong current and whirlpools caused by the construction of all four dams.

That is why the rescue teams are trying to raise the water level in the area where the search is under way.

Slovenian officials and experts are already saying that it was an ill-judged and dangerous decision to go kayaking in that area.

The victims were not even wearing lifejackets, despite kayaking through what are classed as wild waters, while their kayaks were deemed completely inappropriate for such a crossing, and would, under normal circumstances, have been prohibited.

So far only one of the fourteen participants sucked in to the dam current has been found alive, while those in the third boat survived because they stayed in the shallows.

All ceremonies that had been scheduled to mark the end of the Slovenian EU presidency were canceled, while messages of condolence have been arriving from neighboring countries, the EU, and its institutions.

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