London, SANA- Thousands who die each year from blocked airways and heart attacks 'could be saved with first aid'. Up to 150,000 people a year could be dying unnecessarily because first aid is not widely enough known, a charity warns.

Situations where first aid could potentially make a difference include suffocations due to blocked airways, which claim 2,500 lives every year, and heart attacks, which kill 29,000.

Today, St John Ambulance launches a new campaign to get more people to learn first aid skills. Its survey of more than 2,000 people found that 59% would not feel confident trying to save a life.

Meanwhile, almost a quarter (24%) would do nothing if they saw somebody struggling and would either wait for an ambulance to arrive or hope that a passerby knew first aid.

Sue Killen, chief executive of St John Ambulance, said: "We believe that anyone who needs first aid should receive it, but our latest research shows that's just not happening.

"We can't rely on other people to have the skills – everyone should take the responsibility to learn first aid themselves. Armed with this knowledge, we can all be the difference between a life lost and a life saved. Around 2,500 people die each year from a blocked airway, but if someone had known the recovery position, lives could have been saved."

The charity has launched a free pocket guide to first aid which maps out what to do in five life-threatening situations. Members of the public can get it by texting life to 85010.

From the Guardian

I. al-Kazhali/ Ghossoun