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Tragedy at Lake Dobbertiner: Holidaymaker dies while swimming!
A 73-year-old man drowns in Lake Dobbertiner as swimming accidents increase in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Safety instructions are necessary.
Tragedy at Lake Dobbertiner: Holidaymaker dies while swimming!
A tragic swimming accident recently occurred in Lake Dobbertiner in Mecklenburg. A 73-year-old holidaymaker from Schleswig-Holstein was killed. According to reports from NDR, his wife could no longer see him from land and called the emergency number. A large contingent of rescue workers immediately set out to search for the missing man. After three hours in the water, during which divers, drones and a police helicopter were used, the man was finally found dead.
This unfortunate news joins worrying statistics: Last year, 29 people died in swimming accidents in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and the trend is rising. Compared to the previous year, this meant nine additional deaths. What is particularly alarming is that, according to the DLRG, most of these accidents take place at the sea. A recurring problem is ignoring swimming bans, which also contributes to people often underestimating the dangers of swimming.
Drownings and their causes
The DLRG reports that 411 people drowned in Germany in 2023, marking an increase of 31 deaths compared to the previous year. This is the third year in a row that the number of drownings has increased and is the first time since 2019 that the numbers have exceeded 400. In addition, the weekend of June 26, 2025 was one of the deadliest swimming weekends of the last decade, with at least 15 deaths across Germany. These tragedies highlight the urgent need to raise awareness of the dangers of swimming.
In this context, the DLRG is calling for better information about dangers to bodies of water, ideally in several languages, as many people may not correctly assess the risks. More and more swimming spots have been closed in the last 25 years, causing many to resort to dangerous places to cool off. The DLRG plans to inform parents of young children in particular about the special risks and hopes that people will be more careful in the coming warm season.
In view of these warning figures and incidents, it is to be hoped that awareness will soon be raised in order to avoid such tragedies in the future. Because swimming should be a pleasure accompanied by safety and a healthy awareness of the waters around us.
For further information about the dangers of swimming and current statistics, the reports from NDR, DLRG and Tagesschau can be viewed: NDR, DLRG, daily news.