[Xploit Machine]

Three men drowned in the rain-swollen Pulula River in Guatemala on the afternoon of June 17, 2024, after one was swept from a crossing and two others tried to rescue him. The crossing links El Coco in Jalpatagua with El Tempisque in Comapa, in the department of Jutiapa.

Heraldo García and Bryan Aguirre went to help the first man, but the current carried all three away. Two other men attempted to assist, including one who threw a sweater for them to grab. The first man swept away had not been identified as of June 18.

Video recorded from the bank shows brown floodwater pouring over the submerged crossing as a man struggles near its edge and another reaches toward him. Bystanders watch from the bank.

[Yoloman]

It's the usual story: one drowning, and two rescuers jump in without safety ropes or floatation gear and also drown ...

"Three drown mice ..."

[Otimebomb]

Never underestimate the power of flowing water.

[Mongolian60]

It looks like the death zone when you have a low lying wall like structure and fast moving water going over it. Somewhere in US they have a place like this with a warning in place.

[NUUDLZ]

Unfortunately the people who tried to be heroes are now zeros because they didn't use common sense. Bravery will not keep your ass from drowning Such a shame that those people who care enough to help lost their lives. Oh well....not like we're running out of bodies to kill off.

[gimlet]

Guy in the wife beater t-shirt didn't last long. Maybe they should build a pedestrian bridge there.

[nudibranches646]

These weirs / low head dams are deadly, As water flows over the face of the weir it can create a ‘re-circulation’ feature on the downstream side when surface water is pulled back into the face of the weir. this re-circulation is known as a hydraulic jump, hole, stopper etc. Depending on the strength of the recirculation it can have the ability to trap floating debris, objects, equipment and potentially people. Many a kayaker has met their demise in one, including a friend who was very very lucky to survive.

[ironmike]

Originally Posted by nudibranches646 ↗

These weirs / low head dams are deadly, As water flows over the face of the weir it can create a ‘re-circulation’ feature on the downstream side when surface water is pulled back into the face of the weir. this re-circulation is known as a hydraulic jump, hole, stopper etc. Depending on the strength of the recirculation it can have the ability to trap floating debris, objects, equipment and potentially people. Many a kayaker has met their demise in one, including a friend who was very very lucky to survive.

So true. "washing machine" effect. Get trapped in that and you are dicked. No escape.

[houseoftechno]

Yup, don't want to bale from the canoe/kayak at a low head dam, but if the boat inverts, you don't have a choice. My plan for escaping a recirc hydraulic is to dive into the toe and loop around along the bottom with strong strokes, to punch out of the hydraulic low and downstream of the recirc.

[William May]

I think when they shut off Niagara Falls many years ago, they found a woman suicide victims body in the blank area. The water flowing in and the water flowing out lead to a static area with no movement (Or something, I don't remember the scientific explanation) so she just hung out there, waiting for them to find her when they turned the river off. I think it was the American side of the falls. The Canadian side was fine and never needed fixing. I think we had leaking washers, or our handle was squeaky or something, on OUR side.