Headlines - 2012 Drowning Survey – Interim Results for the Period from June 1 to August 31, 2012-09-12.

From June 1 through September 30, 2012, the 2012 Drowning Survey was conducted, organized by the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) and the Directorate General for Civil Security and Crisis Management of the Ministry of the Interior, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.The survey covers all departments and all drowning incidents, provided they involve an organized rescue operation and result in hospitalization or death. Between June 1 and August 31, 860 accidental drownings, including 339 deaths, were recorded in France, averaging 3.7 deaths per day. Of the 860 drowning incidents, 50% occurred at sea, 28% in rivers and bodies of water, 19% in swimming pools (54% of which were in private family pools), and 4% in other locations (bathtubs, ponds, etc.). All age groups are affected, but those aged 65 and older have the highest drowning mortality rate, at 7.9 deaths per 1,000,000 inhabitants (population estimated by INSEE as of January 1, 2012). [...]