Uzbek man drowns in Ufa as severe heatwave triggers deadly river currents

An Uzbek national has tragically drowned in Ufa, Russia, after entering the Belaya River during a severe heatwave. Official accounts indicate the individual sought respite from the intense heat by swimming in a prohibited and hazardous area beneath a bridge near the "Kamennaya Pereprava" crossing. Treacherous undercurrents in the river reportedly overwhelmed him, pulling him underwater to his death.

Figures from the Ufa Civil Defense Department underscore the severity of the region's ongoing water-related challenges. Between July 22 and July 28 alone, emergency services rescued 87 individuals, among them 33 children. Additionally, lifeguards at the "Solnechny" beach, also on the Belaya River, saved 74 more lives during that same week.

This recent surge in rescues starkly contrasts with the entirety of 2025, when rescue teams extracted 30 people, including eight children, from the water. The single week of intense July heat thus necessitated nearly three times the number of rescues compared to the entire previous summer season.

Experts attribute the current perilous conditions to a rare and highly unstable environmental confluence: extreme temperatures combined with elevated water levels in both the Belaya and Ufa rivers, resulting in exceptionally powerful and unpredictable currents. Swimming in Ufa's rivers remains strictly forbidden due to the slow rate of water level recession, which keeps currents dangerously swift. Authorities are strongly advising the public to opt for swimming in local lakes instead of rivers.

This incident follows another provincial tragedy in June, when an Uzbek citizen died in Kyrgyzstan's Toktogul District after their vehicle plunged into the Chychkan River.