Poor sense of risk led to dragon boat tragedy in Guilin

SEVENTEEN PEOPLE in Guilin in Southwest China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region drowned after two dragon boats capsized. Beijing News comments:

The tragedy in Guilin could have been prevented. For example, all the participants were wearing the same uniforms, but not one of them was wearing a life jacket.

Besides, the two dragon boats capsized near a weir which creates whirlpools in the river. According to analysts, such whirlpools are dangerous for dragon boats, but many dragon boat teams choose to challenge them because that makes their performance look much better. Had the villagers been more aware of the risks, this tragedy could have been prevented.

Some are now calling for stricter regulations covering such activities. According to the local government, it requires all dragon boat activities to be registered. The organizers of the activity in Guilin applied but their application was rejected. Then they held the activity without approval. Of course, we do not mean the local government is completely without responsibility, but it is unreasonable to expect the government to have been able to prevent this activity when it did not know it was taking place.

But to prevent any similar tragedies, it is necessary for the local government and villagers to work in harmony. The government needs to inspect the river and ensure every dangerous stretch is out of bounds. And the villagers must not hold activities without approval. Only with the joint efforts of all can safety be guaranteed.