Fourteen men tragically lost their lives in drowning incidents during the first three months of this year in Canary Islands, one less than in the same period of 2023, as reported on Monday by the organization ‘Canarias, 1,500 kilometres of coastline’.
Apart from the fourteen fatal drownings, this included two underage fishermen who disappeared after being hit by a wave, on the coast of Gran Canaria. In January to March, there were three critically injured swimmers; five with severe injuries; nine moderate; six minor, and eight people rescued unharmed.
Among the total deceased, identified by nationality, there were two Spanish victims, one German, one Chinese, and ten of unknown nationality.
21% of the drowning victims, three in total, were over 60 years old, while four (29%) were adults, the age of five (36%) was unknown, two were minors, and in all cases, they were men.
In terms of activities, 72% (10) of the deceased were bathers; 14% fishermen (2); and 14% (2) ‘others’.
By island, Tenerife registered the highest number of deaths (5), followed by Gran Canaria (3); Fuerteventura and Lanzarote (2 each); La Palma (1); and La Gomera (1).
Beaches were the most common setting for accidents, accounting for 60% of cases; followed by ports and coastal areas (22%); natural pools (13%); and swimming pools (5%).
86% of fatal accidents occurred in the afternoon; the remaining 14% in the morning.
During the Easter holidays of this year (from 24 to 31 March), one person lost their life due to submersion, another was assisted in serious condition, (1) minor injury, and (1) was rescued unharmed, at various points on the Archipelago’s coast.
This represents a 33% reduction in total incidents compared to the Easter holidays of the previous year, which saw 1 severely injured person, (3) moderate, and (2) minor injuries, including a minor.
