Barran Press
The 2024 "Star of the Town" tourism season in Hadhramaut governorate, southeastern Yemen, has come to an end, according to the Coast Guard forces on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.
The Coast Guard, in a statement received by "Barran Press," stated that they were part of the joint security forces deployed to secure the coastal strip of the governorate during the season, which runs from mid-July to the end of the month.
Hadhramaut Coast Guard Commander, Mohammed Omar Bamehir, revealed that search and rescue teams successfully rescued 39 people, including a woman and a child, from drowning incidents along the governorate's coastline during the "Star of the Town" season.
Colonel Bamehir further stated that the Coast Guard had rescued eight people from drowning incidents prior to the season, noting one fatality before the season began.
He highlighted that the Coast Guard had launched an awareness and guidance campaign before the start of the season to raise public awareness about the dangers of the sea, identifying permitted swimming areas while emphasizing caution and prohibited areas to ensure the safety of beachgoers from drowning incidents.
The campaign included installing informative signs and broadcasting awareness videos on local and satellite channels, educating the public on how to handle emergency situations during drowning incidents.
On July 12, the Coast Guard, under the Ministry of Interior in the internationally recognized Yemeni government, reported the drowning death of a young man in Hadhramaut, days before the start of the "Star of the Town" season, which attracts many swimmers and bathers to the shores of Mukalla city.
The official Yemeni news agency Saba reported the drowning death of 23-year-old Mohammed Anas bin Dubay'a from the Ba'uzer district of Hadhramaut. The Coast Guard rescued seven others while they were swimming in the waters of the Arabian Sea in the Sixty area of Mukalla city.
Hadhramaut's coastline witnesses drowning incidents annually, especially during the "Star of the Town" season, which coincides with the intensification of waves and attracts thousands of visitors from Hadhramaut and other Yemeni governorates.
The "Star of the Town" season, which begins in mid-July and lasts until the end of the month, is considered by the people of Hadhramaut as an astronomical phenomenon where the sea water reaches its coldest temperatures. Many believe that swimming in the sea during this season helps cure various illnesses.