France issues warnings after shocking new drowning figures released
The Local France - [email protected]
Published: 11 Jun, 2019 CET.
Updated: Tue 11 Jun 2019 15:12 CET
France has warned people of the dangers of swimming after a shocking report revealed the country saw nearly 600 fatal drownings last summer.
The total number of fatal drownings between June 1st and September 30th, 2018, was 597, according to a new survey by France's national health body Sante France Publique.
Of the deaths recorded, 406 were accidental while 89 were suicides or assaults. The reasons behind the other 102 deaths remains unknown, according to key findings published by the health body.
The number of accidental fatal drownings has remained fairly stable since the previous report was produced for summer 2015 when 436 people died.
However, the total number of accidental drownings during 2018 was recorded at 1,649, representing a rise of 30 percent on the previous survey. Of these, 25 percent were fatal.
The French health body categorised its findings according to the definition decided upon by the World Health Organisation, which states that drowning can have three consequences: death, long-term illness or temporary respiratory issues.
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Photo: AFP
This increase in accidents was mainly seen among under-13s (338 in 2015 compared to 600 in 2018), the survey said, adding more positively that there has not been an increase in the number of deaths.
Unsurprisingly the French departments with the highest number of drownings were those by the sea, namely the Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Gironde, Hérault and Pyrénées-Orientales, which alone account for nearly one in three drownings.
A total of 44 percent of drownings occur by the sea, while swimming pools account for 31 percent and rivers or other bodies of water account for 22 percent.
Drownings at sea mainly concerned adults aged over 45 while those in swimming pool drownings concerned children under 6-years-old and those in rivers or streams mostly concerned adults aged between 25 and 44 years old.
The average age of drowning is 22 years and 5 months for all accidental drownings and 51 years and 6 months for accidental drownings that result in a fatality.
Experts believed the weather conditions during the summer of 2018 - the second hottest summer since 1900 - were partly to blame for the number of drownings, due to an increase in the number of people swimming.
Be cautious
If you're among the many thousands of people planning to swim in France this summer, it's vital that you're aware of the different dangers of taking a dip on the Normandy, Atlantic or Mediterranean coasts as well as in the many rivers, lakes and private swimming pools.
For instance, the Mediterranean sea takes the lives of more French swimmers than the Atlantic Ocean, and yet the latter's tides are stronger and generally considered more treacherous.
Meanwhile some regions in north west France such as the southern beaches of Brittany are renowned for their strong waves whereas in Normandy the danger is more linked to the tides, which surprise people who have gone for a stroll on the beach and suddenly find themselves trapped by quickly rising waters.
For more information on the danger associated with the various coastlines, as well as rivers and lakes and swimming pools in France CLICK HERE.
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The total number of fatal drownings between June 1st and September 30th, 2018, was 597, according to a new survey by France's national health body Sante France Publique.
Of the deaths recorded, 406 were accidental while 89 were suicides or assaults. The reasons behind the other 102 deaths remains unknown, according to key findings published by the health body.
The number of accidental fatal drownings has remained fairly stable since the previous report was produced for summer 2015 when 436 people died.
However, the total number of accidental drownings during 2018 was recorded at 1,649, representing a rise of 30 percent on the previous survey. Of these, 25 percent were fatal.
The French health body categorised its findings according to the definition decided upon by the World Health Organisation, which states that drowning can have three consequences: death, long-term illness or temporary respiratory issues.
READ ALSO:
Photo: AFP
This increase in accidents was mainly seen among under-13s (338 in 2015 compared to 600 in 2018), the survey said, adding more positively that there has not been an increase in the number of deaths.
Unsurprisingly the French departments with the highest number of drownings were those by the sea, namely the Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Gironde, Hérault and Pyrénées-Orientales, which alone account for nearly one in three drownings.
A total of 44 percent of drownings occur by the sea, while swimming pools account for 31 percent and rivers or other bodies of water account for 22 percent.
Drownings at sea mainly concerned adults aged over 45 while those in swimming pool drownings concerned children under 6-years-old and those in rivers or streams mostly concerned adults aged between 25 and 44 years old.
The average age of drowning is 22 years and 5 months for all accidental drownings and 51 years and 6 months for accidental drownings that result in a fatality.
Experts believed the weather conditions during the summer of 2018 - the second hottest summer since 1900 - were partly to blame for the number of drownings, due to an increase in the number of people swimming.
Be cautious
If you're among the many thousands of people planning to swim in France this summer, it's vital that you're aware of the different dangers of taking a dip on the Normandy, Atlantic or Mediterranean coasts as well as in the many rivers, lakes and private swimming pools.
For instance, the Mediterranean sea takes the lives of more French swimmers than the Atlantic Ocean, and yet the latter's tides are stronger and generally considered more treacherous.
Meanwhile some regions in north west France such as the southern beaches of Brittany are renowned for their strong waves whereas in Normandy the danger is more linked to the tides, which surprise people who have gone for a stroll on the beach and suddenly find themselves trapped by quickly rising waters.
For more information on the danger associated with the various coastlines, as well as rivers and lakes and swimming pools in France CLICK HERE.
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