ALGIERS, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- More than 170 people died from drowning in Algeria since early July, the Civil Defense Ministry of the northern African Arab country said here Sunday.
The ministry said 102 of the victims drowned near beaches while another 70 people drowned in domestic reservoirs. Most of the deaths occurred in unguarded areas.
The death toll is the highest in recent years, and the government has dispatched life guards over 60,000 person-times to beach resorts, stemming the occurrence of a large number of dangerous incidents.
July and August are the holiday season in Algeria. Millions of Algerians would spend their holidays on the northern Mediterranean coast to avoid intense heat.
Algeria is hit by a rare heatwave this year, and the number of holidaymakers has reached a historic high. In order to improve people's safety awareness, the government posted warnings in media and banned swimming at dangerous areas before the official summer season started.
