Almería, the third Andalusian province with the most drownings
Almería, the third Andalusian province with the most drownings
Andalusia closed last July with thirteen deaths due to drowning, three more than in the same month last year, which brings the total number of deaths from this cause to 45 so far in 2024. This is reflected in the National Drowning Report (INA) of the Royal Spanish Federation of Rescue and First Aid. During this month of August, two deaths have already been recorded in swimming pools, both in the province of Seville: a young man in Los Palacios and a two-year-old child in Alcalá de Guadaíra.
In statements to Europa Press, the director of the Spanish School of Rescue and First Aid, Alberto García, has pointed out that the increase in drownings in Andalusia between January and July of this year has been "significant". The most affected provinces have been Cádiz, with thirteen deaths; Málaga, with eleven deaths; and Almería, with eight. In the rest of the community, Huelva has recorded five drownings, followed by Granada with four, while Córdoba and Seville have two each. Jaén is the only province where there have been no deaths from this cause.
García points to several possible causes for the increase in drownings, such as the prolongation of the summer period, which each year begins earlier and ends later, which generates "a greater influx of tourists and, therefore, a greater risk." He also regrets that, while the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) reinforces its resources at times of greater displacement, there is no similar increase in aquatic environments, despite the fact that more and more people use these spaces for longer periods of time.
The Royal Spanish Federation of Rescue and Lifeguarding has tried to promote prevention campaigns through the administrations. García mentions, in particular, the campaign of the Junta de Andalucía, although he criticises that it does not effectively reach the population, since it focuses on an informative video in which a mother calls her son lost on the beach. According to García, child drownings are not the most common, and those that do occur usually take place in private pools due to the lack of perimeter fencing.
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