A danger that does not diminish. Drownings were fewer but more frequently fatal in June 2023, compared to the same period in 2021, according to a study published Friday by Public Health France. A phenomenon that recalls the dangers of drowning particularly frequent during the summer and aimed at all age groups.
For the period from June 1 to June 28, 233 drownings were recorded, of which 84, or just over a third (36%), were fatal for France and Overseas.
Compared to June 2021, the total number of drownings decreased by 25%. If the number of drownings followed by death remains stable between June 2021 and June 2023, the proportion of deaths is instead increasing, since two years ago it was 26%, compared to 36% this year.
The first adult victim.
Regarding the accidents that occurred last June, drownings followed by death mainly affect adults in more than 6 out of 10 cases (62%), compared to 5% of drownings that affect children under 6 years of age.
The phenomenon is also on the rise. In 2021, the proportion of drownings followed by death among adults was less than one person in two (47%).
Public Health France emphasizes the crucial role of the weather in this type of accident. Drownings were particularly numerous on Sunday June 25, a particularly hot weekend day and therefore conducive to swimming in most of the country.
About 1,000 deaths a year
For Public Health France, the large number of drownings that occurred in 2021 can be explained by the post-pandemic period.
“The context of lifting the restrictive measures deployed to manage the Covid-19 epidemic associated with favorable weather conditions for swimming could have explained part of the large number of drownings during (the) period (of the first fortnight of the month June”, advances the health institute.
Public Health France reminds that drowning occurs in all environments (rivers, bodies of water, public or private swimming pools), but that deaths by drowning are more frequent in private swimming pools for children and in the sea for adults. .
On average, around 1,000 people die each year in France after accidentally drowning. Half of these drownings occur during the summer.
Source: BFM TV
