A young man swam to a friend and did not resurface: 6 people drowned in Ukraine in 24 hours

State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported 7 May 2026 about a tragedy on a body of water in the Odesa Oblast. In the town of Berezivka rescuers found the body of a 15-year-old boy in the water.

According to emergency responders, two teenagers were on opposite banks of the water. One of them decided to swim across the river to his friend, but went under the water during the swim. After searching the bottom of the water area, rescuers pulled the deceased boy’s body ashore.

The State Emergency Service (SES) emphasizes that the tragedy in the Odesa region occurred against the backdrop of dangerous nationwide statistics. In just the past day on Ukraine’s waterways 6 people died in Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Ternopil, Odesa and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts. Among the deceased – one child. Since the beginning of the year 141 people have already died on the water, including 11 children. These figures once again show that bodies of water remain deadly even when the situation at first glance seems controlled.

For residents of Mykolaiv and the Korabelnyi District, where there are nearby rivers, a liman and informal recreation spots by the water, such reports should serve as a separate warning. It is especially dangerous to swim in unregulated places, to enter the water alone or to leave children unattended near bodies of water.

Rescuers urge citizens to observe safety rules during recreation by the water: do not swim in prohibited or unregulated places, do not enter the water alone, do not leave children unattended near bodies of water, and in case of an emergency call 101.

Reminder: earlier we wrote:

• In Mykolaiv, a 2-year-old boy drowned in a bathtub
• At Namyv in Mykolaiv, divers found the body of a missing boy
• Tragedy in Mykolaiv region: two people died in the water
• Water is killing Ukrainians en masse: 12 victims in a day, including a child
• Went swimming and disappeared: a 12-year-old boy drowned at a beach in Mykolaiv