Number of child drownings on the rise in Switzerland

The number of drownings in Switzerland fell slightly last year. A total of 58 people lost their lives in water in 2023. The majority of victims were young men and children. There was a marked increase in drownings among children. The 58 cases recorded last year remain above the long-term average of 47 cases per year, said the Swiss Lifesaving Society on Monday. With 17 cases, teenagers and young men aged 16 to 32 accounted for almost 30% of the deaths. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox In this age group, no female victims were recorded. A taste for risk and an overestimation of individual abilities may explain the high rate of drowning on the male side. + Over 8,000 people swim across Lake Zurich Never before have so many children up to the age of 16 drowned since 2007. In four of the seven cases, the children were under ten. A one-year-old drowned in a bucket of water in the family garden, another in a river, two in a swimming pool, and three in a lake.