Between June 1 and July 25, there were 564 drownings in France. This is what reveals the annual survey of Public Health France which counts everything: sea, lake, rivers, swimming pools… Accidental, criminal, suicidal or indeterminate drownings. 131 of these drownings were fatal. In 2020, over the same period there were 568 drownings, but “only” 126 deaths. This year 125 drownings took place in Occitania.
In the details of the investigation, relayed by France Info, we learn that 26% of drownings take place in swimming pools, and that these concern 63% of children under 6 years old. It should be noted that the effervescence of deconfinement has apparently caused an influx to beaches and swimming pools and in turn an increase in drownings at the very beginning of June. At the beginning of July, on the other hand, the bad weather conditions kept the population away from swimming, with logically less drownings.
Santé Publique France believes in its press release that “these results underline the need to continue prevention on the risk of drowning at all ages, by insisting on the gradual resumption of physical activity, including swimming, taking into account the condition of everyone’s health ”. However, we know that a significant delay in learning to swim was taken with the various confinements and the restrictions on the opening of swimming pools for many months.