A vehicle plunges into the river, then water fills up in the vehicle. Too much pressure and low oxygen levels cause death like it happens in drowning.
Many people across the world lose their lives when a vehicle they travel in veers off the road and plunges into the river.
Here in Kenya those incidences happens mostly in rainy seasons when there are floods in some parts of the country.
Alot of people have lost their lives in the Indian Ocean when crossing to Likoni using a ferry.
Their vehicles plunge into the ocean because of poor protection barriers in the ancient ferries.
The latest sad case happened in Kitui county over the weekend in Enziu River when a bus carrying catholic choir members.
Over 30 people lost their lives as per the latest reports last evening as they pulled the bus from the river.
The people that lost their lives could not swim or get out of the bus as it sunk into the river.
Here are tips on how to escape from a vehicle that plunges into the river;
1. Do Not Be Worried
Maintain your composure. Panicking distorts one’s judgment and ability to carry out the following possible life-saving steps.
2. Unbuckle Your Safety Belt
When the vehicle enters the water, we encourage passengers to remove their seat belts.
When water fills the vehicle, the seat-belt lock usually clogs.
If you are in the presence of youngsters, unbuckle their seat belts first, starting with the oldest, as they can assist the younger ones.
3. Launch the Windows program.
They must complete as soon this as workable. This allows the people to flee the vehicle.
The best is to open one window at a time, keeping in mind that the vehicle’s electronic systems fail ten minutes after the vehicle submerges in water.
4. smashed the window
Because of the increased water pressure, breaking the window while the automobile is underwater will be more difficult.
We recommend drivers to have a car safety glass breaker on hand.
In the lack of a glass breaker, detach any of the seats’ head rests .
Notably, the technique—using the sharp edge, strike the window on either of its edges as this is where it is weakest—is the most important.
Experts don’t recommend breaking the windscreen or rear window because they have stronger triplex safety glass.
5. Unlocking the Door
Gently try to open the door when the car is underwater. Because of the pressure placed on the door by the water, this may cause extra effort.
As a result, as you crank the door handle, you may need to use your legs to help force open the door.
Waiting for the car to fill with water before opening the door is not a good idea.
This would balance the pressures within and outside the car, making opening the door difficult.
6. Swimming to the Surface 6th.
When submerged in clear water, it is easy to determine where the water’s surface is.
Muddy water is a different story. Determine where there is the least drag in the water and swim in that direction.
Less drag means less pressure and depth, as water pressure increases with depth.
Notably, all the preceding procedures depend on an individual’s capacity to remain cool and how quickly they can react.
The idea is to get out of harm’s way as quickly as possible.
READ ALSO:St Joseph Seminary Mwingi School Bus Falls into Enziu River with Passengers inside (VIDEO)