In the month of January, six individuals lost their lives due to drowning incidents in the Canary Islands. This figure remains consistent with the number of fatalities that occurred in the same month in 2022 and 2023, according to a report released on Thursday by the organization ‘Canary Islands, 1,500 km of coast‘.
The archipelago witnessed two severe injuries, three moderate injuries, and two minor injuries in addition to the six drowning deaths. Furthermore, four individuals were successfully rescued without sustaining any injuries in water-related incidents during the past month in the Canary archipelago.
According to the association, 90% of the individuals involved in aquatic mishaps displayed recklessness and ignorance by entering the water despite the presence of a red flag or adverse sea conditions.
Out of the six deceased individuals, one was of Chinese origin. The association ‘Canary Islands, 1,500 km of coast‘ was unable to determine the nationality of the remaining victims.
One victim was over 60 years old while two were adults. The ages of the remaining three victims are unknown. Furthermore, all the victims were male.
Among the deceased, 67% (4) were bathers, and the remaining 33% (2) belonged to other activities.
The islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura recorded two deaths each. The other two fatalities occurred in Tenerife and La Palma.
Fatal accidents primarily took place on beaches, accounting for 76% of the cases, followed by ports and coastal areas (24%). The majority, 83%, of fatal drownings occurred in the afternoon, with the remaining 17% happening in the morning.
The report highlights that drowning is the leading cause of unintentional deaths in the archipelago, exceeding the fatalities in road safety accidents by over 100%.
The association emphasizes that 90% of water-related accidents were a result of recklessness and ignorance.
