Germany Sees a Record Number of Drowning Victims
The German Life-Saving Society (DLRG) has reported a record number of fatalities at the beach, with at least 15 people losing their lives in a series of drowning incidents over the weekend. This marks the deadliest weekend of the year and one of the deadliest in the past decade, according to DLRG’s Martin Holzhause.
Holzhause, speaking to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, warned that the actual number of fatalities may be even higher, as not all cases have been fully investigated. The alarming trend of rising drownings in Germany has been ongoing for three years, with a staggering 411 people losing their lives in 2024 alone, a 31-person increase from the previous year.
While it is unclear why so many people lost their lives in the recent weekend’s incidents, Holzhause attributed the growing danger to the increasing frequency of hot summer days, a trend exacerbated by climate change. “With more hot summer days due to climate changes, the heat-related risks also increase” he said, emphasizing the need for the country’s lifeguarded beach areas to be upgraded nationwide.