Seven die in swimming accidents at the weekend...

Summer holidays have had a grim start for drivers and for swimmers. Seven people drowned at the weekend in various parts of the country. Three men lost their lives in South Bohemia, two in the region of Ústí nad Labem, one near Olomouc in Moravia and another in the Slapy reservoir near Prague. The youngest of them was ten years old. Statistics show roughly 300 deaths by drowning annually in the Czech Republic. Rescuers say that many of these could be prevented if people better heeded safety rules.