The mountain supervision of the Darmstadt regional council warns of dangers and risks when swimming in unguarded quarry ponds. In addition to large rivers such as the Rhine and Main, the lakes are a frequent accident site when swimming, the Darmstadt authority said on Friday. What looks like a sandy beach from the outside could become a deadly trap in the water, explained department head Frank Braunisch. In particular, places where materials are washed up under water are dangerous. In July, a young man could only be found dead from Lake Egelsbach (Offenbach district).
The main difference to open-air pools and bathing lakes is the lack of staff: at quarry ponds it takes much longer until help is on site without supervision. The authorities warned that anyone who enters active mining areas of quarry ponds is also guilty of trespassing and risks being reported. The German Life Saving Society (DLRG) recently published the number of deaths in Hesse since the beginning of the year. A total of eleven people drowned from January to July 2022.
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