Five children and seven adults drowned in Spain over the weekend, as well as nine more the previous weekend. What’s causing the recent increase in people – particularly minors – tragically dying at sea in Spain?
So far this year, drowning has caused 174 deaths in Spain, with a 40 percent increase in child drownings, according to updated data from the National Drowning Report by the Royal Spanish Lifesaving and Rescue Federation.
Just this past weekend, there were even three children who drowned at the same beach in Tarragona.
Why are so many of these tragic unavoidable deaths happening this year in Spain?
Firstly, is the fact that the recent heatwave is causing more people to head to beaches and rivers to cool down, so there are simply many more swimming than usual. Additionally, when heatwaves arrive early, there are fewer beaches with lifeguards as some are only hired for the summer months.
Experts warn that the months of June, July, and August historically see the highest number of drownings.
“Obviously, a heatwave is causing people to go closer to the water and increasing the risk of accidents. But it’s clear that we need to change the way our beaches are being protected,” Ramsés Martí, a water safety expert from Barcelona told Antena 3.
It’s more than just hot weather, however. Roberto Barcala Furelos, coordinator of SEMES Lifesaving and professor at the University of Vigo, told the Cope radio programme La Linterna that “many of these incidents are due ignorance or recklessness”.
He explained that this includes going into dangerous waters without sufficient swimming skills and that the problem is exacerbated by the lack of water safety education in Spain. Despite Spain having 8,000 km of coastline, he warns that “there is no culture of prevention”.
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This was true of the recent case in Tarragona when six boys jumped into the sea from rocks while a yellow warning flag was flying because of strong waves. While three of the boys made it back to shore, the other three lost their lives.
“Anything we wouldn’t do on the road, we shouldn’t do in the water”, Eduardo Blasco, a lawyer and rescue diver, told national broadcaster RTVE.
When it comes to children, there’s a particular risk because they are not always aware of the dangers, as well as not being very strong swimmers.
In many cases it’s because they’re unfortunately not being supervised properly as parents are unaware of the dangers too.
Sebastián Quintana, a drowning prevention expert agreed saying that “in nine out of ten cases where the drowning victim is a minor, there had been a lack of attention and supervision on the part of the parents, or even the physical absence of the parents”.
This is why experts say that you need to pay close attention to children at all times when they’re in or near water.
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Basilio Martínez, technical director of the Lifesaving and Rescue Federation of the Principality of Asturias (FSSPA) told La Voz de Asturias that some people may think it’s enough to simply keep a close eye on your children and watch them from the beach, but he stresses that “If a child is in the water, the adult has to be in the water with them”.
It’s not just children that are taking risks. Many adults have become drowning victims recently too, either because they’re trying to save someone, are not aware of the dangers or think they are stronger swimmers than they actually are. They’re also more likely to be swimming in areas where there’s no lifeguard on duty.
According to data from the Royal Spanish Lifesaving and Rescue Federation, nearly 90 percent of drowning deaths in Spain occur in unsupervised areas.
Spain suffers from a structural shortage of lifeguards, with thousands of positions going unfilled every summer. Low wages, high responsibility, and temporary contracts cause many professionals to leave the sector, forcing municipalities and regional governments to reduce lifeguard services.
This is why it’s even more important to go to beaches with lifeguards and coloured flags which let you know how safe the water is on a particular day.
There’s also the unsettling statistic that 80 percent of drowning victims are men, which is the same seen across the world.
Barcala Furelos explained to Cope radio that: “We [men] are more irresponsible, less aware of the danger, and more daring. I don’t know if it’s genetic or learned, but the reality is that, for every 10 drownings, eight are men”.
He believes that the combination of a lower perception of risk and reckless behaviour, such as ignoring red flags or venturing into dangerous areas and jumping off rocks explains a large part of these drownings.
This recklessness is also sometimes compounded by alcohol or drug use before swimming, which is why it’s even more dangerous to go swimming during a festivity such as San Juan, when many people will be entering the water at midnight, most likely after a significant amount of drink.
Another major issue behind the drownings experts believe is the lack of information.
According to Blasco, the issue should be addressed with “more information and prevention campaigns, as well as coercive measures”.
Barcala Furelos agreed, also criticising the lack of a centralised drowning registry in Spain. “Current data comes from newspaper clippings, which makes invisible cases that don’t make the news.” He also warned that official figures only reflect fatalities, omitting serious injuries or non-fatal incidents, meaning that the true impact “could be five times greater”.
“The solution isn’t to avoid swimming, but to do so prudently, on supervised beaches, and knowing how to swim,” he concluded.
