In Irkutsk, preventive patrols on waterways have been stepped up because of the danger of going onto the ice. Emergency services check ice fishing spots daily and remind residents of safety rules. Rescuers warn that even seemingly solid ice is now breaking up quickly, and the risk is especially high near shores, rapids, and river confluences. Residents are asked not to go onto the ice, and in an emergency to call 112 immediately.

The raid work of the city emergency services has been intensified due to the danger of being on the ice of bodies of water. Preventive patrols in places traditionally used for winter fishing by Irkutsk residents will be carried out daily.
Employees of the Department for Civil Defense and Emergency Situations of the Irkutsk City Administration, during the patrols, hand out leaflets on safe behavior on the ice and hold explanatory talks with fishermen about improvised rescue means that every person going out onto the ice should have with them.
With the onset of warm weather, the ice begins to break down and, despite the apparent strength of a 30-40-centimeter layer, it easily cracks and breaks through. The ice thins fastest near the banks, around frozen-in objects, in the area of rapids, fast currents and underground springs, on bends, meanders, and at river confluences. In addition, large ice floes may break away from the shore. Such an incident occurred on Wednesday, March 19, in the area of the Bokovskaya Channel. At 20:30, the Irkutsk emergency rescue service received a report that an ice floe with a fisherman had broken away from the shore. Rescuers promptly went to the scene and found that the victim had been able to evacuate on his own from the ice floe that had drifted close to the shore.
In addition to fishermen, unattended children may also be at risk on the ice. The Department for Civil Defense and Emergency Situations of the Irkutsk City Administration urges Irkutsk residents to refrain from going out onto the ice – right now it can be life-threatening. In the event of an accident, you should call the rescue service at 112 from a mobile phone.