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18-year-old drowns at Lake Pleasant in fourth incident in 4 weeks

Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies were called out to the Sunset Ridge part of the lake for a possible drowning.

PEORIA, Ariz. — For the fourth weekend in a row, first responders rushed to Lake Pleasant for some sort of incident.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies were called out to the Sunset Ridge part of the lake for a possible drowning.

They found out that an 18-year-old man went out swimming and disappeared. His body was later found, according to deputies.

He hasn’t been identified.

It’s become a routine occurrence at the lake.

Last Sunday, 83-year-old Rosario Benitez died after being tossed off a boat during high winds.

Two men drowned at the week on consecutive weeks before that, including 20-year-old Neria Aranbayev.

This is a developing story. Stay with 12 News for the latest updates.

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Drowning Prevention Tips:

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children between ages 1-4 aside from birth defects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three children die every day as a result of drowning. Here are some tips from the CDC on how to protect children around water:

Learn life-saving skills.

Everyone should know the basics of swimming (floating, moving through the water) and CPR.

Fence it off.

Install a four-sided isolation fence, with self–closing and self–latching gates, around backyard swimming pools. This can help keep children away from the area when they aren’t supposed to be swimming. Pool fences should be separated from the house and play area from the pool.

Life jackets are a must.

Make sure kids wear life jackets in and around natural bodies of water, such as lakes or the ocean, even if they know how to swim. Life jackets can be used in and around pools for weaker swimmers too.

Keep a close watch

When kids are in or near water (including bathtubs), closely supervise them at all times. Because drowning happens quickly and quietly, adults watching kids in or near water should avoid distracting activities like reading books, talking on the phone, or using alcohol and drugs.

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