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Berlin / Erfurt (dpa / th) - At least five people died in swimming accidents in Thuringia last year.
In the previous year there were nine people, according to figures published by the German Life Saving Society (DLRG) in Berlin on Tuesday.
According to the information, at least 378 people died in swimming accidents across Germany in 2020.
That was nine percent less than in the previous year.
The fatal accidents occurred mainly in lakes and rivers.
Only a comparatively few of these water bodies are guarded by lifeguards.
"The risk of drowning there is therefore many times higher than on coasts or in swimming pools," said DLRG President Achim Haag.
"Here we at the DLRG would like to work more specifically with the municipalities in order to defuse more danger spots with the help of our many lifeguards."
Children and young people were also repeatedly affected.
Eighteen preschool children and five elementary school children died in the water.
"Today children no longer have the opportunity to learn to swim everywhere and everywhere," said Haag.
The pool closings in the Corona year 2020 would have made the situation even worse.
According to estimates by the lifeguards, one million children nationwide could not be trained to be safe swimmers in the past year.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210309-99-749475 / 2
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