58 people drowned in Switzerland in 2023
Published: Monday, Oct 21st 2024, 12:20
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In 2023, 58 people drowned in Switzerland. This figure is well above the long-term average of 47 cases per year, as reported by the Swiss Life Saving Association (SLRG) on Monday.
According to the data, 46 victims were male and 12 female. 53, and therefore a very large proportion, of the drowning cases occurred in open waters, 29 of them in lakes and 24 in rivers. According to the SLRG, four fatal drownings occurred in swimming lanes.
According to the SLRG, a total of seven children under the age of 16 lost their lives by drowning in Switzerland in 2023, the highest number since 2007. Four of the victims were under ten years old. Three of these accidents happened in a lake, two in an outdoor pool, one in a river and one in a full bucket of water in the garden at home.
The fear that, based on the figures from 2022, more senior citizens over 65 would have an increased risk of drowning was not confirmed in 2023. The SLRG explains further in its communiqué. While 26 people of retirement age drowned fatally in 2022, the figure last year was twelve.
According to the SLRG, it can generally be said that men - and young men in particular - dominate drowning incidents in Switzerland. In 2023, 17 males between the ages of 16 and 32 lost their lives in the water. Only three fatal accidents were recorded among women up to the age of 50.
©Keystone/SDA
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