Eight Lives Lost to Drowning in the Canary Islands
During the first two months of 2024, the Canary Islands have recorded a total of eight deaths due to drowning, a figure slightly lower than that of the same period in 2023. These data were collected by the Association for the Prevention of Accidents in the Canary Islands Aquatic Environment, which It covers a coastal area of ​​1500 km.
Causes and Circumstances
Most of these tragic events are attributed to acts of recklessness and negligence, as people entered the water under a red flag or in unfavorable conditions. The association emphasizes that these data come from official sources related to emergency situations and are part of the association’s statistical analysis.
It is important to note that all the victims were men. Furthermore, one of the deceased was of Chinese origin, while the nationality of the other seven has not been revealed. Regarding ages, one person was over 60 years old, three were adults and the age of the other four victims is unknown.
Distribution and Rescue
The analysis reveals that six of the deaths (75%) occurred among bathers, while the remainder (25%) were classified as ‘other’. Tenerife tops the list with three deaths, followed by Lanzarote and Fuerteventura with two each, and La Palma with one. On the other hand, in Gran Canaria, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa, no deaths were reported.
Furthermore, it is reported that the majority of drownings took place on beaches (67%), followed by ports and coastal areas (20%), and natural pools (13%). It is notable that 88% of fatal accidents occurred in the afternoon, while the remaining 12% took place in the morning.
