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DLRG and fire brigade in action: Most fatal accidents occur in inland waters
Photo: Marcel Kusch / picture alliance / dpa
In the first seven months of 2023, the number of bathing deaths fell noticeably compared to the previous year - probably also because of the weather. By the deadline of July 25, at least 192 people had drowned in German waters, 21 fewer than in the same period last year, the German Life Saving Society (DLRG) said.
"Summer is now taking a longer break. Otherwise, the number of drowned people would certainly be close to that of the previous year," said DLRG President Ute Vogt. In the whole of the previous year, at least 355 people in Germany died in swimming accidents, which was 56 more than in the previous year.
According to the DLRG, 123 people have died in the water since the start of the bathing season in May – 13 fewer than in the same period in 2022. As was the case last year, a "very warm May" attracted many bathers and water sports enthusiasts, Vogt said. Once again, there were many accidents in the still cool waters." In May alone, 32 people drowned, compared to 30 a year earlier.
Four out of five drowned people are men
Most of the fatal bathing accidents occurred inland – mostly in unguarded waters: 179 people have drowned in rivers, streams, ponds or lakes so far. There were 75 deaths in lakes, significantly fewer than a year ago (93), and 68 in rivers (2022: 66). In canals, 17 people drowned, 8 more than a year ago. In June alone, four men died in the Dortmund-Ems Canal. "Whether it's rivers or canals, shipping lanes are particularly dangerous and should be avoided at all costs," Vogt said. Even water sports are not always without danger. For example, 12 people drowned while stand-up paddling or boating.
In the North Sea and Baltic Sea, 9 people have died so far, 4 more than in the same period last year. According to the DLRG, volunteer lifeguards guard many beaches between May and September.
There are different developments in the federal states: In Bavaria, with its many lakes, 30 people drowned in the first seven months of the current year – after 44 in the same period last year. In Hamburg, on the other hand, the number of drownings more than doubled from 4 to 9, while in North Rhine-Westphalia it rose slightly from 31 to 35. In Schleswig-Holstein, 9 people drowned by the cut-off date at the end of July, down from 13 in the same period last year, while in Lower Saxony the number of deaths fell from 25 to 18.
According to the DLRG, four out of five drowned people, or 79 percent, are men. Almost every second bathing death (44 percent) was older than 50 years. The number of children up to the age of 10 who died in swimming accidents fell slightly from 10 to 8.
"Many emergency services suffer from stress symptoms immediately after deployment"
DLRG Head of Communications Frank Villmow complained that the warnings of the rescuers, the yellow or red flag on the towers, were still often ignored. There have been several rescues within a few days on the Baltic Sea, including in the Bay of Lübeck and in Graal-Müritz near Rostock: "In special weather conditions, strong currents develop there within a very short time, which are life-threatening, especially for inexperienced and non-swimmers."
Villmow warned: "Just last week, a young rescuer in Grömitz saved a six-year-old girl who was alone in the water from drowning." Last year, DLRG volunteers saved the lives of 1307 people. Katharina Leichauer, DLRG Federal Commissioner for Psychosocial Emergency Care, said: "Many emergency services suffer from stress symptoms immediately after deployment." However, symptoms usually subside within a few days to weeks.
Vogt criticized that the proportion of children who cannot swim has increased significantly during the corona pandemic - according to a Forsa survey commissioned by the DLRG, the proportion of primary school children who cannot swim rose from 2017 to 2022 percent between 10 and 20. Also, the lifesavers could have trained fewer lifeguards. "Even though it has been rather cool and wet recently, climate change will tend to give us more summer days in the future, which will increase the risk of accidents on the waters," she warned. The best accident prevention: learning to swim.
bbr/dpa