BERLIN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The number of drowned people in Germany fell slightly by 29 deaths to at least 250 in the first seven months of the year, according to the German life-saving association (DLRG).
"The number of drownings is very dependent on the weather. In contrast to the previous year, spring and the first summer month of this year have so far been rather subdued and this is reflected in the figures recorded," said DLRG press spokesperson Achim Wiese on Thursday.
Last year, during the very warm month of May, for example, at least 51 people drowned in Germany. This year, the DLRG recorded 28 drownings.
However, the development had varied greatly among Germany's federal states. The number of bathing deaths in Bavaria rose by 20 to 65 cases, while in Lower Saxony there was a decrease of seven deaths to 29, according to the DLRG.
Unsecured bathing areas remained by far the most frequent place for fatal bathing accidents, which accounted for more than 90 percent of all Germans who drowned this year, noted the German life-saving association.
"At rivers, lakes and ponds there are very few lifeguards on duty," warned the German life-saving association's spokesperson Wiese.
Putting up bathing prohibition signs was not enough to "keep people from jumping into unguarded and above all unknown waters," stressed Wiese.
The DLRG criticized the poorer swimming abilities of German children in particular, noting that only slightly more than 40 percent of children could swim after primary school. In the 1990s, this figure had still been almost 90 percent.
