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Drowning: And the deadliest river in Switzerland is …
In twelve years, 600 people have drowned in Swiss waters. Lack of experience, alcohol and unconsciousness of danger are often involved.
The AAR holds the sad title of the deadliest river in Switzerland, with 70 drownings between 2012 and 2024.
UnsplashBetween 2012 and 2024, 600 people lost their lives in Swiss waters – lakes and rivers. And the sad record of 70 drownings during this period was recorded in the waters of the AAR, very popular with swimmers. This is more than the number of total drownings in the Rhine, the Rhône and the Limmat, which makes it the most dangerous watercourse in Switzerland, according to an analysis of the “Sonntagszeitung”, based on the statistics of the Swiss rescue company (SSS).
After the AAR, it was Lake Geneva, Lake Zurich and the Rhine who had to deplore the most drowned during this period. Depending on the type of body of water, it is indeed in the lakes that the greatest number of swimmers – 294 people – lost their lives. Another striking fact: young men aged 20 to 30 are overrepresented among the victims, notes the newspaper.
Too many inexperienced swimmers
Lack of experience and endurance, fatigue and alcohol consumption are among the main causes of these fatal accidents. “It’s a bit like on ski slopes,” explains Christoph Merki, media manager at the management of SSS in Sursee. “When we see the bustle and the crowd that hurries at the water’s edge during a sunny day in Switzerland, it is surprising that there are no more accidents.”
This is why, each year in May, just before the seaside season, he communicates the statistics of drowning. A measure of “awareness” of the public to show that lakes are not swimming pools and that rivers are not aquatic slides, he notes.
Unconscious public of risks
The SSS has listed drowning since 2012 in all the lakes and rivers in Switzerland. Last year, 52 people drowned there, compared to 36 in 2021. This light increase in the Swiss rescue company (SSS). Only good swimmers should venture into a river, recall its experts.
They deplore the lack of consciousness of the public from the dangers of Swiss waters, both lakes and rivers. And they recall that he is not recommended to bathe after consuming alcohol, in case of fatigue or lack of knowledge of currents. Also avoid: jumps in troubled water or swim alone on long distances. And when you are by boat, wearing a life jacket is highly recommended.
Precious Swiss Rescue Society
The Swiss Rescue Company was founded in 1933 after numerous deaths by drowning the previous year (271 people), as well as numerous mountain accidents and deaths due to avalanches. Switzerland then had around 4 million inhabitants.
As the statistic shows, the creation of the SSS has borne fruit: despite the rapid population growth, the number of deaths compared to the number of inhabitants decreased: from 6 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 1933, it fell to 2.7 deaths 30 years later and today stabilized at 0.6 deaths.