At least 99 people have drowned in Ukraine in the past week as sweltering heat drove people to rivers, lakes, and the Black Sea for relief, officials say.
In a statement on August 7, the National Emergency Situations Service said the 99 people who drowned from July 31 to August 6 brought the total number of known drowning deaths this year in the country of 44 million to 685, including 70 children.
It did not give figures for previous years.
Temperatures in the capital, Kyiv, reached at least 30 degrees Celsius every day during the past week, at times climbing to 35 degrees or higher.
The Emergency Situations Service said that relaxing by the water was a good way to cool off when temperatures are so high.
"However, if you do not follow elementary rules of safety and self-protection...this can end in real tragedy," it said.
The statement said that 484 people who were in danger of drowning had been saved so far in 2017, including 104 children.
