(MENAFN) Three swimmers lost their lives after two explosions occurred in the sea off Ukraine’s Odesa region, according to local police reports.

Authorities confirmed that the incidents took place in areas where swimming is officially prohibited. Bomb disposal teams, investigators, and rescue workers are currently on site handling the situation.

The Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper, specified that the fatalities happened in the towns of Zatoka and Karolino-Buhaz. He stated on social media, “Deadly danger in the water: three lives were lost due to ignoring prohibitions. One man died in Karolino-Buhaz, another man and a woman in Zatoka. All of them were blown up by explosive devices while swimming in areas prohibited for recreation.”

Kiper also reminded the public that there are 32 designated safe swimming zones in the region—30 within Odesa city, and one each in Chornomorsk and Prymorske (Izmail district). These areas have undergone thorough inspections to confirm the absence of mines and the availability of shelters on land and in the water.

This tragic event echoes a similar incident in June, when two people were killed by a mine explosion while swimming near Zatoka.

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