DLRG draws balance: 261 people drown in German waters in 2025

DLRG President Ute Vogt warned that this shows it can become life-threatening especially where no rescue personnel are on site who could provide quick help in an emergency. She pointed out that at many bathing spots there is no professional lifeguard presence, meaning that in a real emergency minutes can pass before help arrives.

The DLRG is thereby renewing its demand, expressed for years, for better monitoring of public bathing spots. According to the organization, this includes fixed lifeguard stations at heavily frequented lakes and rivers, well-signed hazard areas, and sufficient rescue equipment on site.

Demands on municipalities and bathing spots

Education about typical dangers in and on the water also belongs, according to the DLRG's assessment, to the central preventive measures. These include warnings against swimming after consuming alcohol, pointing out unguarded current areas, and the recommendation never to take one's eyes off children near waters.

The aid organization simultaneously called on municipalities and operators of bathing spots to take their supervisory duties seriously and to provide sufficient rescue personnel during the summer months. Vogt emphasized that many of the accidents would be avoidable if a rapid response were possible on site.

Parallel to the water rescues, the organization is still occupied with investigations after a drone find, which have not yet been concluded, as the DLRG announced. It initially provided no further details on the background; investigations following a drone find are being continued.

In international comparison, the DLRG also points to a growing need for water rescue structures, for example when traveling to countries like Oman, where different climatic and infrastructural conditions prevail. According to the organization, the findings from Germany cannot simply be transferred to other regions.

The DLRG announced that it would further intensify its prevention work in the coming weeks with a view to the ongoing bathing season. Additional actions at schools and information campaigns on social media are planned.

The final annual statistics will be published in the coming weeks, according to the DLRG. Until then, the figures could change slightly, as late reports from individual federal states come in.

The aid organization appealed to bathers to take the warning notices at lakes, rivers, and coasts seriously and, in case of uncertainty, to refrain from swimming.