Between June 1 and June 28, 2023, 233 drownings, including 84 fatalities, took place in France, reveals this Friday Public Health France. Over these four weeks, the total number of drownings is down 25% between 2021 and 2023. However, we cannot conclude from this a net decline in the number of drownings. The month of June 2021 had been marked by the end of the restrictions linked to the Covid-19 health crisis and coincided with a period of good weather, which may have encouraged risky behavior and explained a greater number of drownings. .
Beware of high temperatures and private swimming pools for children
According to data from Public Health France, tragedies occur more during episodes of high heat, such as during the second weekend of June 2021, the heat wave which occurred from June 15 to 19, 2022 and the last weekend of June 2023.
Over these three years, deaths in rivers and bodies of water concerned all ages, while drownings in private swimming pools more concerned minors and those at sea concerned adults. It should be noted that the proportion of fatal drownings increases with age: in 2023, this proportion was 5% among children under 6 and 62% among adults.
Advice before the big bath
As the summer school holidays begin this Friday evening, Santé Publique France would like to remind you of the main drowning prevention messages. Of the thousand drownings that occur each year in France, half take place during the summer period.
For both children and adults, the ideal is to know how to swim as soon as possible (there are aquatic initiations for the youngest) and it is never too late to learn when you are an adult. For children, it is recommended not to take their eyes off them when they are playing at the edge of the water, to bathe with them when they go into the water and to designate an adult in charge of supervision per child, during swimming.
For adults, the authorities point out, for example, the importance of choosing supervised bathing areas, of finding out about the weather conditions before bathing and of postponing your bath if you feel a physical problem because it can then lead to discomfort in the water. It is also important, especially in hot weather, to go gradually into the water to avoid thermal shock.