The victims were 33 men and 10 women, most of Portuguese nationality and more than half over 40-years-old. The main causes of the deaths was found to be falling to the water and falling into wells.


The districts with the highest deaths were Lisbon and Faro, with six deaths each and Aveiro and Santarém with five deaths each. None of the deaths occurred in guarded areas and only in five cases was a rescue attempted.


The month with the highest number of deaths was June, with Fepons launching the “Frequently Watched Water Spaces” council for July, August and September. This council is part of the “SOS Drowning” digital prevention campaign, which “quarterly disseminates statistically based safety advice from the Drowning Observatory” reads a statement issued by the federation.