Two people died from drowning in Lanzarote last January

A total of six people drowned in the Archipelago that same month, according to the study by the 'Association for the Prevention of Accidents in the Aquatic Environment of the Canary Islands'

February 1 2024 (10:30 WET)
Updated in February 1 2024 (13:02 WET)
Drowning (Image Archive)
Drowning (Image Archive)

Two people lost their lives due to drowning last January in Lanzarote, according to data obtained in the study by the 'Association for the Prevention of Accidents in the Aquatic Environment of the Canary Islands, 1500 Km of Coast'. Together with Fuerteventura, the island is at the top in terms of the number of deaths.

In addition, a total of six people died from drowning throughout the Canary Islands that same month, matching the figure for January of the previous two years. 90% of those who suffered some type of mishap in the aquatic environment did so due to recklessness and ignorance: they entered the water when the red flag was waving or when sea conditions were adverse, the study revealed.

In addition to the six deaths recorded, there are two injured with serious injuries, three moderate, two minor, and four rescues of people who were unharmed. By sex, 100% of the fatalities, that is, the six deceased, were male. Regarding activity, 67% of the deceased were bathers, and the remaining 33% corresponds to the other section.

The beaches are the environment in which the most accidents with fatal results have been experienced, with 76% of the cases, followed by ports and coastal areas (24%). It should be noted that 83% of fatal drownings occurred in the afternoon, while in the morning they were 17%.

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in the Archipelago, exceeding by more than 100% those recorded in the field of road safety. Recklessness and ignorance are the common factors in 90% of accidents in the water. The association advocates maintaining a "preventive and self-responsible attitude" when interacting in any aquatic space.

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