JERUSALEM, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Israel has developed a new drone which can be used to rescue drowning people in the sea, a local newspaper reported Sunday.

The new drone, developed by the private company Blueskimmer, carries three floats that swell rapidly with water, and is designed to expand the range of lifeguards at the beach, the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

Once the lifeguard identifies a person in distress 200 meters away in water, the drone can release the floats in just 15 seconds.

It is also equipped with a public-address system, through which the lifeguard can instruct the person in water.

The drone is made of carbon fiber and can operate within a radius of up to 2 km from the lifeguard's shelter, thus dramatically shortening the initial response time in drowning cases.

Tel Aviv-Yafo, one of the largest cities in Israel, has 13 beaches with a total length of 13.5 km, attracting thousands home and abroad during the summer.

The number of deaths by drowning has reached 51 on the beaches of Israel since the start of 2018.