Contrary to the perception that drowning accidents mainly occur at the sea or in valleys during summer, people aged 70 and older suffered the most such accidents in winter, data showed. In particular, nearly seven in 10 drowning accidents among the elderly occurred at multi-use facilities including bathhouses, and more than half of those patients died.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) released the findings on the 25th, marking World Drowning Prevention Day, based on a survey of injury patients who visited emergency rooms at 23 major hospitals nationwide from 2021 to 2025.
During the survey period, a total of 505 patients visited emergency rooms due to unintentional drowning accidents. Of these, 154 died, putting the overall mortality rate at 30.5%. This means roughly three in 10 drowning accident patients died.
By age, patients aged 70 and older numbered 148, accounting for 29.3% of the total, the largest share. Among them, 76 lost their lives, for a mortality rate of 51.4%. More than one in two elderly people who suffered drowning accidents died.
The timing of accidents among the elderly also differed from the general pattern of drowning accidents. While overall drowning accidents were most frequent in summer, 42.6% of patients aged 70 and older suffered accidents in winter.
The accident locations were also concentrated in spaces closely tied to daily life rather than the sea or rivers. Of drowning accidents among those aged 70 and older, 68.9% occurred at multi-use facilities including bathhouses and water parks. This means the elderly need to take special care not only at summer water recreation sites but also at facilities they frequently use.
By contrast, more than half, or 51.1%, of drowning accidents among children aged 0 to 9 occurred in summer, when school vacations and holiday seasons overlap. By location, they were relatively evenly distributed: 28.9% at multi-use facilities such as water parks, 28.1% at residential facilities such as homes, and 23.0% outdoors including at the sea and rivers.
Among all patients, males numbered 377, accounting for 74.7%. This is about three times the 128 female patients.
By age, following those aged 70 and older, children aged 0 to 9 numbered 135, accounting for 26.7%. Those in their 60s followed with 70, accounting for 13.9%.
Across all ages, summer accounted for the highest share of accidents at 37.1%. By month, August was the highest at 14.5%.
By day of the week, accidents occurring between Friday and Sunday accounted for 53.6% of the total. By time of day, accidents between noon and 6 p.m. were the most common at 40.4%. Another 33.7% occurred between 6 p.m. and midnight.
By location, outdoor sites such as the sea and rivers accounted for the highest share at 44.9%. Multi-use facilities such as bathhouses and water parks followed at 32.7%. Residential facilities accounted for 10.1%, and sports facilities such as swimming pools 9.1%.
"Drowning accidents happen in an instant and carry a very high risk of leading to death, so prevention is more important than anything," KDCA Commissioner Lim Seung-kwan said. "Please pay special attention to the safety management of the elderly, who face high risks of both accidents and death, and children, who require continuous supervision."
