Status: 08/03/2023 3:42 p.m
Nationwide, 192 people died while swimming this year. According to the German Life Saving Society (DLRG), the number of bathing deaths has fallen slightly compared to the previous year. Regional figures were presented for Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Lower Saxony.
The summer is not as hot as last year, so fewer people jump into the water on the Kiel Fjord, on the Steinhuder Meer or on the Müritz. Fewer bathers also means fewer fatal bathing accidents by the July 25th deadline.
Fatal swimming accidents: Men more often affected
Most of the people in Lower Saxony died as a result. The DLRG counted 9 swimming deaths in Schleswig-Holstein, 7 in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and 18 in Lower Saxony this year, and 9 in Hamburg. According to DLRG President Ute Vogt, it is mostly men who die, they tend to overestimate and believe themselves , they may swim more or better than they actually do.
90 percent of bathing accidents occurred inland, i.e. on lakes and rivers. Nine people lost their lives in the North and Baltic Seas this year, four more than in the previous year.
Hamburg: More bathing deaths than in the same period last year
In Hamburg, contrary to the national trend, there were more bathing deaths than in the same period last year (as of July 25): At that time there were four bathing deaths last year instead of the nine now counted. In the bathing season from the beginning of June alone, four men died, two of them in the Elbe. The other two had an accident in Allermöhe in the lake behind the Horn and in Eichbaumsee, which was actually closed at the time of the accident.
Hamburg is planning more warning signs
In Hamburg, the DLRG, together with the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), now wants to put up more danger signs with simple pictures and instructions in several languages to warn people who do not understand German.
Further information
Many people underestimate the dangers of swimming, which can lead to fatal swimming accidents. What to look out for (07/12/2023) more
The DLRG repeatedly warns of the dangers of swimming in lakes and rivers. Four people have drowned in Hamburg this summer. more
A 16-year-old went into the water near the Falkensteiner Ufer in Hamburg on Sunday. According to witnesses, it went under shortly afterwards. (07/10/2023) more
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NDR 90.3 | NDR 90.3 Current | 08/03/2023 | 14:00 clock