HEALTHPLAN MAGAZINE

With 38 deaths recorded this year, Andalucía has surged to the forefront of the Autonomous Communities in terms of lives lost in aquatic spaces due to unintentional drownings. This position was held by the Canary Islands between January and June, but after ten drownings in July, Andalucía now holds the lead.

In a statement to Europa Press, Isabel García, the President of the Royal Spanish Federation of Lifesaving and Lifeguarding, confirmed this, stating that "there are several reasons that contribute to these increasing figures, as Andalucía was not the Spanish territory with the highest number of deaths due to this cause since July 2021."

Out of the 38 drownings that have occurred in the Andalusian region, two more than the same period last year, 21 took place on beaches, eight in pools, eight in aquatic spaces, and two in rivers. Among these cases, four were minors, eight were of undetermined age, and the rest were adults.

Following Andalucía in the cumulative total for the first seven months of 2023 are Catalonia with 37 deaths, the Valencian Community with 33, the Canary Islands with 31, Galicia with 23, the Balearic Islands with 15, Asturias with 13, and Castile and León with twelve drownings.

In Spain, a grim total of 249 individuals succumbed to drowning in the initial seven months of the year, marking the bleakest statistics since 2017. During that corresponding time frame, 305 lives were tragically claimed by drowning.

García pointed out that one of the reasons for the rise in these figures is the "increased influx of tourists to Andalucian aquatic spaces, which naturally raises the risk with a higher number of users."

In her opinion, "society assumes that everyone knows how to swim and is aware of the risks of aquatic spaces and their signage, and that's not true; many people cannot swim."

Furthermore, García emphasised that "aquatic spaces pose risks, not leisure."

The President also noted another cause: "The public arrives at the beaches early in the morning, and lifeguard services do not start until around 11:00 AM. As a result, drownings occur during those hours when there are no security services." García acknowledged that "many rescues take place, indicating a lower number of victims, but without security services, drownings still occur."

García also stated that "given all these factors, awareness and prevention campaigns are necessary and are being conducted at both the regional and national levels." Water safety affects the entire country, leading the President to emphasise that "we're talking about over 3,000 deaths in the last eight years in Spain, an unacceptable figure for a tourism-oriented country like ours."

The Federation and the Andalusian Regional Government have signed a collaboration protocol encompassing various areas of training, production, and, for now, beginning with water safety, to collaborate in reversing all drowning incidents.

In conclusion, García asserted that "we must work together in this direction, not only for prevention campaigns but also for the training of security personnel. Additionally, working on education with students to promote health and lifeguard sports is essential."

Sources

https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2023/08/06/andalucia-is-the-spanish-region-where-more-people-38-have-drowned-this-summer/
https://www.europapress.es/andalucia/noticia-andalucia-comunidad-mas-muertes-ahogamiento-va-ano-registrando-38-fallecidos-20230804131959.html