A total of 40 Norwegians lost their lives in drowning accidents this summer, fully 37 of them men. Of the 67 who have drowned since January 1, 59 were men and eight were women, raising concerns over reckless boating and drunkenness.
Norway’s maritime search and rescue organization Redningsselskapet reported that the summer “started off calmly with few accidents in June.” Drownings climbed markedly in July, the main summer holiday month in Norway, and hit a new record in August.
“The 17 drownings we had in August are the highest we’ve registered since taking over responsibility for the national statistics six years ago,” Tanja Krangnes of Redningsselskapet told news bureau NTB. Most, she said, were tied to boating accidents, while 11 victims fell into the sea from land and nine drowned while out swimming. Two others died in diving accidents.
“Adult men are overrepresented in the drowning statistics,” Krangnes said, noting that men accounted for more than 90 percent of the fatalities in boating accidents.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
