BARCELONA – Another drowning death was registered in Catalonia on Tuesday. It is already the eleventh in the region since the beginning of the summer campaign of the Catalan government’s General Directorate of Civil Protection (June 15 to September 15).
Lifeguards pulled an 80-year-old woman unconscious from the water after she was swimming on Playa Larga beach in Salou. Attempts to resuscitate were to no avail. The woman died before regional emergency medical services arrived.
Tragic weekend
Last weekend was particularly tragic on the Catalan coast, where four men lost their lives. In all cases, the yellow flag was raised. That indicates that swimming is allowed but with caution due to risks.
On Saturday, red flags were raised on 25 beaches due to rough seas. Swimming is therefore prohibited. Furthermore, the yellow flag applied to 156 other beaches. Every year, authorities point out how important it is to take these signals seriously. Many people are on holiday and think the Mediterranean Sea is not dangerous. However, the opposite is true, as the drowning cases show every year.
Although the summer campaign is less than a month old, the figures indicate that the number of drownings will be higher this year than last year. Then 25 people drowned on the Catalan coast during the summer season.
Also read: Tragic weekend in Spanish waters with at least ten deaths
Accidents in swimming pools
Civil protection also warned last weekend about the dangers of accidents in swimming pools. This summer, 11 children almost drowned in swimming pools in the region. Since June 15, there have been two drowning deaths in swimming pools in Catalonia. It concerned two adults aged 54 and 76.
Last year, during the summer campaign, 13 drownings were recorded in private and public swimming pools, including two minors, a boy and a four-year-old girl.
The 2022 numbers were worse than the previous year, in which 21 people drowned in beaches and eight in swimming pools.
Also see: Tips to prevent accidents in and around your swimming pool in Spain
