Swiss rivers and lakes claimed 43 lives last year

Rescue services remind people to remain careful and vigilent around water Keystone-SDA

Forty-three drownings occurred in Switzerland last year, almost all of them in open water. Young adults and senior citizens were particularly affected, said the Swiss Lifesaving Society (SSS).

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This is the first time since 2021 that the number of drownings has fallen below 50 deaths, the SSS said in a press release. The number of fatal drownings was 59 in 2024 and had reached 66 in 2022, a record year.

As in previous years, 80% of the victims were men. There is a relatively high number of victims in the 17-32 age group, with eight men and two women, accounting for almost a quarter (23%) of all deaths.

Another trend observed in recent years is confirmed: 17 people over 65 (14 men and three women) lost their lives in 2025, i.e. 40% of the total. According to the SSS, this phenomenon – which is also observed abroad – could be explained by the fact that older people are more active in water, as well as by health problems and a poor appreciation of their own abilities.

On the other hand, fatal drownings involving young children are rare. Last year, a two-year-old boy died in an above-ground swimming pool in a garden, and a 14-year-old boy was found dead in a stream.

Prevention still essential

Most of the fatal drownings occurred in open water: 23 in lakes and 15 in rivers. These figures include two diving accidents, one in Lake Thun and the other during a police operation in the Limmat.

Despite the fall in the number of deaths, the SSS believes that “it is not yet possible to raise the alarm”. July 2025 was a very wet and changeable month, and in many regions rainfall was well above average.

Against this backdrop, “prevention efforts must not be relaxed, in general, but especially in the area of children”, notes the SSS. It points out that people accompanying children in swimming pools are often distracted by their mobile phones or other activities.

Adapted from French by AI/mga

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