Spain: 65 people drown in August

Despite 65 drowning deaths in August, the figure marks a dramatic decrease on previous years with just 251 people dying in Spain from drowning so far this year.

This figure is 126 fewer or 33.4% less than for the same period last year in which 377 people died from drowning.

The latest drowning victim was pulled from the sea off the Velez-Malaga coast with the Maritime Rescue Service recovering the body 600 metres (665 yards) from the shore.

It remains unknown whether the victim was a swimmer or had fallen overboard from a ship.  What is known however is that the body had been in the sea for several days.

The Autonomous Community of  Andalusia leads Spain with the most deaths so far this year accounting for 36 or 14.3 per cent of the total, ahead of Galicia (34 deaths, 13.5 per cent), the Canary Islands (32, 12.7 per cent), Catalonia (31, 12.4 per cent), the Valencian Community (25, 10 per cent) and the Balearic Islands (22, 8.8 per cent).

Meanwhile, Spain’s enclaves in Morocco had the fewest with Melilla the only territory not to reports a death by drowning.

Of those who drowned 42% were over the age of 65 with 82% of fatalities occurring where there was no surveillance or lifeguard service.