On the seashores, by lakes and rivers, the summer of 2025 has been especially deadly in France. Between June 1 and July 23, French emergency services responded to approximately 702 accidental drownings, a 50% increase compared to the same period in 2024, according to a bulletin released by Santé Publique France, the French national public health agency, published on August 1. More than a quarter of these incidents – 193 in total – resulted in death. This figure, still provisional, is 45% higher than in 2024. “It is a significant increase, all the more remarkable given that half the period studied falls outside the school holidays,” said Aymeric Ung, an epidemiologist at the public health agency.
According to health authorities, the main reason is the intense heat recorded from mid-June to early July, which drove large numbers of people to seek relief in bodies of water. During the 16 days of heatwave warnings at the start of summer, water-related accidents soared by 142%. After an end of July marked by variable weather, authorities fear the toll could rise further. Summer is barely halfway through, and the heat that has settled over the south of France is expected to intensify and spread across much of the country from Thursday, August 7.
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