A tragic accident has occurred in the Russian city of Ufa, where an Uzbek citizen drowned in the Belaya River.
According to official reports, seeking relief from severe heat, the Uzbek national went swimming in a dangerous, restricted zone under a bridge near the "Kamennaya Pereprava" crossing. Overwhelmed by the river's treacherous undercurrents, he was swept beneath the water and drowned.
Data released by the Ufa Civil Defense Department highlights the staggering scale of the province's current water crisis. In just a single week, from July 22 to July 28, emergency personnel rescued 87 people, including 33 children. Furthermore, lifeguards at the "Solnechny" beach on the Belaya River saved an additional 74 lives during the same period.
By comparison, rescue teams pulled a total of 30 people, including eight children, from the water during the entirety of 2025. This means that a single week of intense July heat required nearly three times as many rescues as the entire previous summer season.
Experts note that the city is currently facing a rare and highly volatile environmental situation. The combination of scorching temperatures and surging water levels in both the Belaya and Ufa rivers has generated exceptionally strong, volatile currents. Swimming in Ufa's rivers remains strictly prohibited because water levels are receding too slowly, leaving the currents dangerously fast. Authorities are strongly urging the public to swim in local lakes instead of rivers.
This incident follows a separate provinceal tragedy in June, when another Uzbek citizen lost their life in Kyrgyzstan's Toktogul District after their vehicle plunged into the Chychkan River.
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