ULAN BATOR, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Five people from Mongolia's capital Ulan Bator drowned when cooling off in a local river, the country's National Police Agency (NPA) said Monday.
"Unfortunately, five adults drowned after bathing in Tuul river to cool off during a heat wave over the weekend," the NPA said in a statement.
"The number of the people who want to stay on river banks and cool off in rivers has been increasing due to high temperatures across the country in recent day," the agency said.
"There have been around 20 deaths by drowning in the country so far this year. Drowning is preventable," the NPA added, urging people to avoid swimming alone or staying near rivers after drinking alcohol.
According to the country's National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring, high temperatures range from 30 to 37 degrees Celsius swept across the country over the weekend.
