As of: February 22, 2024 11:17 a.m
In 2023, the number of swimming deaths in northern Germany rose again to over 100. According to the DLRG, many of the accidents occurred in late summer and in connection with water sports equipment. How can the numbers go down?
Overall, according to the German Life Saving Society (DLRG), around 90 percent of the cases occurred in inland waters: “These are mostly unguarded, so that no lifeguards can intervene in an emergency,” said the President of the DLRG, Ute Vogt. “With a view to the next bathing season, the DLRG calls on people to avoid these waters and to spend their free time at guarded bathing areas.” Advice that also applies to the four northern German coastal states. 102 people died here in 2023:
in Lower Saxony: 33 in Schleswig-Holstein: 28 in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: 20 in Hamburg: 21
Sharp increase in swimming accidents in late summer
The summer holiday season in 2023 was noisy until the end DLRG In Germany, even fewer people died in the water than in the previous year. After that, however, there were an unusually large number of accidents: “In the last three months of the year, more people had accidents than since 2017,” said Vogt. “Late summer once again attracted numerous bathers to the waters, which also led to a sharp increase in swimming accidents.”
Stand-up paddle? Always with a life jacket!
According to DLRG, at least 20 of the victims were using water sports equipment such as stand-up paddle boards. “A sudden fall into cool water can be life-threatening for an overheated body. Even experienced swimmers should therefore always wear a life jacket,” says Vogt. According to the DLRG, around 5,500 lifeguards are on duty on the coast every year during the bathing season from the beginning of May to the end of September. Fatal accidents mostly occurred away from patrolled beaches. “Without the volunteer lifesavers there would have been more accidents. They saved around 80 people’s lives on the North and Baltic Seas this summer,” said Vogt.
Further information
Stand-up paddling is a popular water sport in summer. What boards are there and what should you consider when buying? more
Majority cannot swim safely after primary school
According to the DLRG, 16 children who were no older than ten years old died in Germany in 2023. In 2022 there were 20. In the 2000s, there were more than twice as many children in this age group, with an average of 45, according to the DLRG. “People’s awareness of the dangers children face in water has clearly improved,” said Vogt. However, a survey on children’s swimming ability shows that more than one in two children cannot swim safely at the end of primary school. “This development causes us great concern because many will remain unsafe in the water and will therefore be at greater risk for the rest of their lives,” said Vogt: “We must ensure that learning to swim is just as much a part of basic training as reading, writing and arithmetic.”
Further information
Many people underestimate the dangers of swimming, which can result in fatal swimming accidents. What should you pay attention to? (07/12/2023) more
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More and more municipal swimming pools are closing. The result: swimming lessons for children are often canceled in schools. 7 mins
The number of people who drowned in northern German waters rose from 86 to 97 in 2022 compared to the previous year. (02/23/2023) more
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Hello Lower Saxony | 02/22/2024 | 19:30 o’clock