A six-year-old child died this Thursday afternoon when he drowned in the swimming pool at a campsite in Saint-Germain-sur-Ay (Manche), where he was staying with his family, reports France 3. “Everyone is in shock, it looks like an unfortunate accident,” indicates the public prosecutor of Coutances.
According to information from France 3, the child – originally from the neighboring department of Calvados – had come with his family to spend a few days of vacation. At the beginning of the afternoon, he was in all likelihood the victim of drowning in the establishment’s swimming pool. The investigation will help determine the precise circumstances of the tragedy. Emergency services were unable to revive the victim. A helicopter had been dispatched, specifies Ouest-France.
This drowning comes as temperatures begin to rise in France, right during the Ascension Bridge which gives the luckiest French people a semblance of a vacation.
According to data from Public Health France, 253 drownings followed by deaths were recorded in France between June 1 and August 20, 2023. Minors are mainly concerned when it comes to private swimming pools. “Every summer, children under six years old represent a quarter of accidental drownings, or more than 500 cases,” indicated the health authority, estimating that “insufficient surveillance” was the main cause of drownings.
