Drowning tragedies on the increase

A TOTAL of 94 people drowned in Spain last month, 56.7 per cent more than in July last year. 

This makes it the worst month for drownings in two years with only the 95 deaths seen in July 2017 worse in the past five years. 

According to the National Drowning Report prepared by the Royal Spanish Federation of Lifeguards and Rescue, between January 1 and July 31, 232 people have lost their lives through drowning, almost 25 per cent more than in the same period last year. 

The Royal Federation has been warning of the increase in drowning deaths since May and is now pointing out that July saw an average of three such tragedies every day. 

By community, Valencia has seen the most deaths with 16, followed by Catalonia (14), Castilla y León, (11) and Andalucia and Galicia, which had nine each. 

More than half of those killed by drowning in July (49) were between the ages of 45 and 74, those aged 75 or over represent one in five deaths. 

Seven out of 10 cases occurred in unattended aquatic areas and half (54 per cent) occurred on beaches, 17 per cent in rivers, 9 per cent in swimming pools and 20 per cent in “others”, including harbours, canals, wells and the open sea.