13 June drownings in Baden-Württemberg mark 25-year high; over 90% of victims male

Surge in June drownings

In Baden-Württemberg, 13 people drowned in June 2026, the highest for any June in 25 years. The German Life Saving Association (DLRG) recorded 99 drowning deaths nationwide during the same month. Last June, seven people drowned in the state, less than half this year's figure. In the whole of 2025, 43 people drowned in the southwest. The national figure this June is the highest for the month since 2003, a year the German Weather Service later called a 'summer of the century.' The state ranked third in Germany for June drownings, trailing only Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia.

The tragic start to the bathing season gives cause for concern that more people could lose their lives in the water during further heatwaves in high summer.

Men overwhelmingly affected

The vast majority of victims were male. Nationwide, over 90 percent of June's drowning victims were men, DLRG president Ute Vogt said. In Baden-Württemberg, 11 of the 13 dead were men. The DLRG urged young men to assess their abilities realistically and avoid risky behaviour. Psychologist Florian Stoeck from the Professional Association of German Psychologists attributed the gender disparity partly to a tendency among men to overestimate their physical capabilities.

Men tend to assess their physical abilities and their control over potentially dangerous situations more optimistically than others.

Stoeck added that men more often swim alone and take greater risks, but said no single factor could explain the accumulation of male drowning deaths.

Where drownings occurred

Most of the fatal accidents in the southwest happened in lakes, with eight deaths. Three people died in rivers and two in swimming pools. Lakes, often without lifeguard supervision, proved especially dangerous. The DLRG urged swimmers to stay within designated bathing areas and to avoid jumping into unknown waters.

A close call on the Neckar

In Heidelberg, DLRG rescuer Alexander Walter and his team intercepted two young men swimming far out into the Neckar River, heading toward the shipping channel used by large inland vessels. Walter later explained to them how dangerous it was to swim into the shipping lane. The men said they had not thought about the risk. Walter told German media that his team had handled eight water rescue operations in ten hot days, including missing-person searches, drowning incidents, bridge jumpers and a body recovery. On the day of the interview, the German Weather Service expected temperatures up to 33 degrees Celsius in Heidelberg. Walter's colleague Jennifer Brenner noted that children are always watched closely, but older and uncertain swimmers also receive attention.

Prevention and DLRG presence

The DLRG, the world's largest water rescue organisation, deploys 9,300 volunteer lifeguards in Baden-Württemberg across 213 natural waters and 334 swimming pools. The association names lack of swimming ability, overestimation of one's own strength, jumps into shallow or murky water, and medical emergencies as the main causes of bathing accidents. At the Neckar meadows in Heidelberg, lifeguards keep a constant watch on children, elderly people and anyone who appears unsure in the water. Vogt appealed especially to young men to recognise their own limits.