A 58-year-old vacationer from Niedersachsen was found dead at a beach on the island of Usedom. The local police suspect a swimming accident was the cause.
(Source: Winfried Rothermel/imago-images-bilder)
On Tuesday afternoon, around 1:30 p.m., the man was discovered lifeless in the Baltic Sea off the beach of Heringsdorf. Witnesses and lifeguards immediately retrieved him from the water and began resuscitation attempts. Emergency responders continued to fight for his life, and he was airlifted to the University Hospital in Greifswald.
Cause of death under investigation
Despite the efforts, doctors at the hospital could not save him, and he was pronounced dead late in the afternoon, according to the University Hospital Greifswald.
The police are treating the incident as a swimming accident and have found no evidence of foul play. However, the exact cause of death remains unclear. The criminal investigation unit in Anklam has launched a death investigation. The German Life Saving Society (DLRG) notes that pre-existing health conditions often contribute to swimming accidents among older individuals.
DLRG reports on drowning statistics
Earlier in August, the DLRG released a preliminary report indicating that at least 253 people had drowned in the first seven months of the year, a rise of 35 compared to the same period last year. Two-thirds of these deaths occurred in lakes and rivers, with ten fatalities in the Baltic Sea and three in the North Sea. Nearly one-third of the drowning victims whose ages were known were over 70 years old, while 60 were between 50 and 70 years old.
