Lifeguards call for safe summer swimming

A NEW report has revealed that last year 339 people drowned in Spain, leading lifeguard associations to call for precaution as the summer season is now upon us.
The report by the Spanish Association of Lifeguards and Water Rescue Technicians (AETSAS) and the Segovia Lifeguard School showed that 275 men and 64 women drowned in the country in 2014, and that most of the deaths were registered on beaches in Valencia, Andalucia and the Canary Islands.
Although people of all ages were found to be among the victims, the report gave the over 60s as the largest age group amongst the figures and revealed that a significant number were from abroad, with Germans and British people at the top of the list. Migrants who drown trying to reach Spain from Africa were not counted for the report.
Luis Miguel Pascual Gomez, technical director of Segovia Lifeguard School, stressed that it was vitally important to take particular care with children, as drowning is the most common cause of accidental death in children aged between five and 14.