The Canary Islands has registered 22 deaths at sea so far this year, three of them in Lanzarote

The figure is 30% higher than in the same period of 2020, which was marked by the closure of beaches and confinement for several months.

July 1 2021 (11:24 WEST)
A 70-year-old man dies by drowning on Matagorda beach

The autonomous community of the Canary Islands has registered a total of 22 deaths in aquatic accidents from January to June 2021, which represents an increase of 30% compared to the same period last year.

By islands, Tenerife had 8 deaths; Gran Canaria 5; Fuerteventura and Lanzarote 3 each; La Palma 2 and El Hierro 1, while La Gomera and La Graciosa did not register any deaths, according to the platform 'Canarias, 1500 Km de Costa' in a statement.

The group emphasizes that the increase compared to 2020 is conditioned by the closure of beaches and confinement during the first months of the pandemic, as explained by

However, when comparing the figures for 2021 with those for 2019, the number of deaths has decreased by two, since in the first semester of that year, 24 people died in aquatic environments.

These data come after the end of June with a record of deaths so far in 2021, accumulating 6 deaths in the Canary seas, followed by February (5), April (4), January and May (3 each) and March (1).

To the 22 deaths registered so far this year, we must add 2 injured in critical condition, 9 serious, 21 moderate, 9 minor and 10 rescues of injured who were unharmed.

The Platform also explains that 75% of bathers had entered the water when the red flag was waving or the sea conditions were adverse.

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