13 people drown in France during heatwave weekend, announce authorities
Several teenagers who died were swimming in forbidden areas.
The deaths come amid a record-breaking heatwave
Andrei Metelev/Shutterstock
France’s Sécurité civile has announced that 13 drowning deaths have occurred nationally since Saturday (June 20), as people look to escape extreme temperatures during a record-breaking heatwave.
The figure includes a number of people swimming in forbidden areas such as unsupervised rivers.
The deaths confirmed by authorities include:
A 13-year old swimming with his family at Fontaine-le-Port (Seine-et-Marne)
A 30-year old man, confirmed to have been drinking, at Lagny-sur-Marne (Seine-et-Marne)
A 28-year old man at the lac d'Hommes (Indre-et-Loire)
A 17-year old in the Clain river near Poitiers (Vienne)
A 17-year old in Port-Sainte-Foy-et-Ponchapt (Dordogne)
A 15-year-old at the Malo-les-Bains beach, Dunkirk (Nord)
Two people aged over 70 at a swimming pool gîte in the Drôme department
Two teenagers along the Doubs river near Besançon (Doubs)
In the latter case, the teenagers were swimming in an area of the river that was ‘baignade interdite’ or off-limits to swimmers.
These areas are often along rivers or beaches that are unsupervised by lifeguards and where unpredictable and powerful currents are possible.
A man died last week in Hérault after jumping in to save his daughter from drowning on a stretch of river where swimming was banned.
The figures – as well as a number of deaths recorded during the May heatwave – point towards another sombre year for drowning statistics in France.
In the summer of 2025, 409 drowning deaths were recorded, 14% higher than in 2024, with the largest increase in victims being teenagers.
More than 1,400 cases of drowning were recorded. France differs from other countries in that ‘drowning’ does not necessarily entail death but rather that a person needed to be saved from a body of water.
This includes incidents in swimming pools (where the majority of accidents with young children occur) as well as rivers, seas, and lakes.
Tips to stay safe when swimming
Swimming remains an effective way to cool down during the heatwave, but authorities are urging people to swim safely to avoid the risk of drowning and death.
If swimming with young children, you should ensure they are watched at all times. This applies both to swimming in public areas as well as private swimming pools in gardens, etc.
This includes above-ground pools, which do not have the safety features of built-in pools;
Children should be given armbands if they do not know how to swim, and be taught how to put their head underwater so they do not panic if this happens.
France’s Sports ministry has a series of videos to help parents teach children safety in the water.
Do not drink alcohol before swimming, ensure you enter water slowly and carefully to avoid cold water shock, stay hydrated and avoid being in direct sunlight.
Do not overestimate your physical abilities – cramp and sudden changes in swimming conditions can quickly make a simple swim a feat of endurance, and you should always have energy reserves to get out of trouble.
Remember your French emergency numbers – 196 is the number for trouble at sea (although this often applies to people in boats or caught on rocks at high tide, and not swimmers in the ocean).
The most important advice however remains avoiding dangerous areas.
Do not swim in rivers and lakes if you do not know the currents or depth, and absolutely avoid areas where ‘swimming forbidden’ signs are installed.
