LAHORE   -   Secretary Emergency Services Department Dr Rizwan Naseer said on Friday 139,574 victims were rescued while responding to 146,492 emergencies with an average re­sponse time of seven minutes across Pun­jab during the month of May 2023. He said that out of 146,492 emergencies, Rescue responded 34,216 were road traffic acci­dents, 91,358 medical emergencies, 2,588 fire incidents, 4,035 crime incidents, 103 drowning incidents, 97 structural collaps­es, 1,256 animal rescue and 12,839 miscel­laneous operations in Punjab. He expressed these views while presiding over monthly review meeting of all District Emergency Officers (DEOs) on zoom held at Emer­gency Services Department here. All Heads of wings of Rescue Headquarters & Emer­gency Services Academy also attended this meeting. On this occasion, Provincial Moni­toring Cell briefed about monthly emergen­cy statistics. The meeting was informed that 271 people died in 34216 road accidents in Punjab during the last month. Out of these traffic accidents, the majority of traffic acci­dents 7726 occurred in Lahore in which 37 people died. Similarly, 2367 RTCs in Fais­alabad, 2239 RTCs in Multan, 2072 in Gu­jranwala, 1418 in Sheikhupura, and 1359 in Rawalpindi while the remaining 17035 ac­cidents took place in 30 districts of Punjab. The majority of fire incidents took place in major districts i.e., 655 incidents in Lahore, 181 in Faisalabad, 153 in Rawalpindi, 151 in Sheikhupura, 118 in Gujranwala and 104 in Sialkot. Secretary ESD was also apprised that 73 people tragically died in 103 drown­ing incidents across various locations in Punjab, including canals, rivers, and other areas. Of the total cases, 58 were canal-related, 12 involved rivers, 17 occurred elsewhere, and six were in sewage drains. Among them, 53 lost their lives in canals, seven in rivers, two in sewage drains, and 11 in other locations. Secretary Emergency Services Department Dr. Rizwan Naseer also reviewed flood preparedness arrange­ments especially for flood prone districts of Punjab. He directed all the DEOs to ensure rehearsal of flood contingency plans in true letter and spirit to ensure timely prepared­ness especially in case of urban flooding. He stressed upon all DEOs to ensure mock ex­ercises for testing of motor boats and other related equipment and also organize Emer­gency Evacuation Drills in their respective District. The Secretary Emergency Services expressed grave concern over the tragic loss of 73 lives in drowning incidents dur­ing last month across the Punjab. He urged citizens to adhere to safety protocols while bathing in canals, rivers, and other recre­ational areas to prevent further accidents.