Why a city in Egypt has banned swimming in the Nile
Decision comes after spate of recent drownings in the city of Aswan
Cairo: Authorities in the Egyptian city of Aswan have banned swimming in the Nile after several people have recently died while swimming in the river there, Egyptian media reported on Wednesday.
Aswan Governor Ahmad Ebrahim has instructed river police to take the measures necessary to enforce the ban especially in the area near the Aswan cabled bridge due to a spike in drowning cases, Egypt’s official Middle East News Agency (MENA) said.
River police will operate round-the-clock patrols to stop people swimming in the river in Aswan, around 1200 kilometres from Cairo.
Governor Ebrahim has called on people wishing to enjoy swimming to do this in the safe pools of sports clubs across the province to protect their lives, according to MENA.
In recent weeks, several drownings have been reported in the riparian province where temperatures often surge to over 45 degrees Celsius in summer.
On Friday, three people, including a father and his teen son, died while they were taking a dip to cool themselves off the Aswan bridge.