Slightly more drownings in Netherlands last year

Last year 86 people drowned in the Netherlands, three more than in 2015, according to Statistics Netherlands. Despite this slight increase, the number of drowning deaths in the country decreased over the past 20 years.

Children between the ages of 5 and 10 years with a non-western background are relatively the most frequent victims of drowning in the Netherlands. Over the past seven years 1 out of 100 thousand of these kids drowned, compared to 0.1 out of 100 thousand kids with a Dutch background. Between 1996 and 2002, 1.5 out of 100 thousand ethnic minority kids in this age group drowned, so there is a decrease.

In Amsterdam and Chaam a girl of five and a boy of eight drowned earlier this month.