Increase in Fatal Water Accidents in France: Urgent Need to Rethink Swimming Education for Children

Paris – 28.05.2026: The number of fatal water accidents in France has increased significantly in recent years. According to a report by Santé publique France, during the summer of 2025, between June 1 and September 30, a total of 1,418 water incidents were recorded, of which 409 were fatal. This corresponds to an increase in incidents of 14 percent and deaths of 16 percent compared to the previous year.

Particularly concerning is the number of incidents among children and adolescents. While adults represent 57 percent of the injured, children under six years old account for 27 percent and the age group between 6 and 17 years old for 16 percent of the cases. Despite the higher number of incidents among the younger ones, the mortality rate is significantly higher among adults, at 43 percent, compared to 6 percent for the younger ones.

Lazreg Benelhadj, vice president of the French Swimming Federation, criticizes the current swimming instruction for children. In an interview with Franceinfo, he emphasized the need to radically revise the teaching methods. According to him, the measures adopted so far are not sufficient to address the increasing challenges and improve, in particular, the safety of younger swimmers.

The increase in water incidents is also linked to the rise in extreme heat waves in the summer months. Between June 19 and July 8, 2025, 355 incidents were recorded, corresponding to an increase of 135 percent compared to the previous year. Unusually high temperatures lead many people to frequent natural bodies of water, lakes, and rivers more, thereby increasing the risk of incidents.

In this context, the French Ministries of Health and Sport have intensified prevention campaigns. The goal is to minimize risks with informational campaigns and stricter controls, particularly protecting children and adolescents. This includes promoting safe swimming practices and continuously improving swimming instruction in schools and sports associations.

Experts also call for existing prevention strategies to be regularly evaluated and adapted to changed climatic conditions. Only a comprehensive revision of swimming instruction, combined with effective preventive measures, can help reduce the number of incidents and deaths in water in the long term.

In general, there is an urgent need for interventions that go far beyond isolated actions. To improve water safety and in surrounding areas, swimming instruction, information, and rescue services need to be better integrated and adapted to each other. This is especially important for vulnerable groups such as young children, who, due to insufficient swimming skills and increased heat-related stress, are exposed to a higher risk.