A swamp is a part of the landscape with stagnant water. Many moisture-loving plants grow here, and the ecosystem performs one of the most important functions - the preservation of heat on Earth. The most dangerous place is the quagmire, which slowly sucks in and takes the lives of people. According to statistics, there are much more drowned people in the swamp than in any other bodies of water. You can drown in a swamp if you don't know the basic rules of how to behave in such situations.
Historical facts
The fact that the swamp is dangerous has been known since ancient times. The swamps have always been covered with myths and terrible legends. The Germanic tribes believed that the lights in the quagmire were lost souls who could not find shelter in that world. In Russian fairy tales, terrible mermen and sorceresses lived in swamps.
In 2015, a tank drowned in a swamp near Novosibirsk. This incident happened during an exercise. The armored car got stuck in the mud. Every effort was made to pull it out,but failed to do so. As a result, heavy equipment was simply abandoned.
This is not the only time that huge machines get stuck in a quagmire. A well-known fact, when during the Second World War near Uman an entire tank platoon drowned in a swamp. In 2010, a T-34 tank was raised from the water in Cherkassy, which also got stuck in a quagmire during the war.
It took a whole week to save him and a hundred lifelines that kept breaking. It turned out that the tank was thrown to the front line and almost immediately came under bombardment. When the car loaded, the crew abandoned it. Before that, people tried to pull the car out in order to hand it over for scrap. But lifting multi-ton equipment from the bottom of the swamp is not an easy task. Most often, it remains the "prey" of the swamp forever.
Rescued girl
In August 2017, there was an incident in the city park in Kirov. The girl returned home late and got lost in the dark. She got into a swamp and loaded into a quagmire. She spent an hour in the water until she was rescued. Miraculously, a man heard her and called rescuers. He thought that the girl drowned in the swamp, but, fortunately, he was mistaken. She was pulled out of the quagmire alive.
Rescuers found the victim when she was already bogged down to her chest. According to the stories of Irina (that was the name of the girl), she herself could not get out. The dirt was slowly consuming her. The only thing she could do was scream loudly. The girl tried not to move. That is what saved her. It is known that the more movements the victim makes, the faster the swampsucks her in.
A very dangerous swamp veiled with grass. You can drown by stepping on it, like on an ordinary meadow. Grass growing on the surface hides what is inside. Often what appears to be solid ground is actually a dangerous trap.
Elementary rules of behavior in the swamp
If you need to cross a wetland, never do it alone. Take a friend or hire a guide. Going on a hike, carefully study the area. Look for information on the forums, ask the locals about the danger zones. Prepare your clothes. You need high boots, a long-sleeved shirt or jacket, a hat, a mosquito net, as mosquitoes are very abundant in such places.
Do not fasten your backpack with straps too carefully, so that in case of danger you can easily get rid of it. Put clothes and things that can get wet in plastic bags. There are cases when a person drowned in a swamp due to the fact that he could not quickly get rid of the load on his back. The heavy weight rolled him onto his back and quickly pulled him under the water.
Always carry a stick with you. With it, you can check the hardness of the soil and the depth of the reservoir. If a human-length stick is completely submerged, do not try to cross the terrain in this part.
Travel rules
Drowning in a swamp is very easy if you don't know the basic rules of movement. Remember, never trust your eyes! If you see that there is grass on the surface, or it seems to you that there is solidsoil, then all these assumptions can be misleading. Ground near a lake, bay, or stream usually holds water, so there could be a life-threatening reservoir underneath the surface layer.
Remember these rules:
- Try to step on growing branches, tufts of grass or protruding roots. They will sink under the water, but will help you hold on until the next step.
- When taking the next step, check with a stick the place where you are going to put your foot. If the stick sinks easily, choose another site.
- Look around for cattails or reeds. They help a person to move and not drown in a swamp.
- Where there is a current, there must be a hard sandy or gravel bottom. If you see that there is a stream of water in the middle of the reservoir, try to reach it safely. In the center, look back and remember the path along the soft bottom that you have overcome. The second half of the soft bottom is usually exactly the same width as the first. That is, having successfully overcome the first part, you will be able to repeat the steps to cross the pond.
- If trees grow in the swamp, try to move as close to them as possible. The root system holds solid soil.
If you need to cross a swamp, you can pave a path. These are branches of trees and shrubs that need to be put on a shaky place in sufficient quantities.
Walking technology
Is it possible to drown in a swamp while moving at a normal pace? Very easy. When wewe move, we transfer the entire weight of the body, first to one leg, then to the other. When we walk on hard ground, the ground holds us. But you can't do that in a swamp. When you step on one foot with all your weight, it sinks more. At the moment when you take the second step, you intend to transfer the weight of the body, but the first leg is already bogged down, and by taking the second step you have drowned yourself even more, because there is no solid ground under your feet. If you have the opportunity at this moment to leave your boots in the bog and crawl out onto land, then do it immediately.
Correct steps should be sliding. The second step must be done already at the moment when the first leg has not yet dropped to the lowest position.
If you started to sink
Calm down first. Drowning in a swamp is much easier if you spin and climb. Do not lift your leg, your weight at the second point will pull you to the bottom even faster. Try to reach the branches and rake them crosswise in front of you so that you lie on your stomach on a flat surface. Try to make snake-like movements to crawl out of the quagmire. Move in the direction you came from.
Caution: Animals
Hundreds of dangerous animals live in swamps. This is a favorite habitat for leeches and snakes. To prevent leeches from sticking to your skin, try not to leave open areas. Tuck the legs into boots, pull this place with belts or laces. Do not walk barefoot.
There are clouds of insects in the swamp. Stock up on midges, cover your facemosquito net.
Remember: the worst enemy is panic. Be calm and determined, your life is in your hands.
