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PANAJI, India, Sep 24, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Revelers along Goa's white-sand beaches in southern India might do a double take when female lifeguards start patrolling in one-piece swimsuits.
The women are part of a newly appointed, 100-person crew, The Independent said Sunday, and will be fully trained in life-saving procedures. A state tourism official said the woman protecting Goa's beaches are strong enough -- after all, they're from the local fishing community and regularly pull heavy boats and nets.
While not scantily clad by Western standards, they will be wearing one-piece swimsuits, unusual in India where women wear saris when they swim, the Independent said. The Goa state has a large Christian population while most of India is mostly Hindu.
The Arabian Sea off the Goa coast is not kind to humans. In 2006 alone, 45 people drowned, six of them in one day in August, the Independent said. More than 200 people have drowned there over the past four years.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
