Why Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes may not be the safest option for cooling down this summer

MINNESOTA (Valley News Live) – As we head into the holiday weekend, new numbers show drownings surged during the pandemic. The highest rates happened among children under five. Researchers blamed the shortage of swimming lessons during the pandemic.

Minnesota, of course, has about 10,000 options for swimming in the summer, but lakes are lot bigger and deeper than pools. That makes them more dangerous. New research from the CDC shows the number drownings in the U.S. are going back up after decades in decline.

On average, roughly 4,000 Americans drowned every year, but after the pandemic that surged to 4,500. The highest rates of death were among young children, but the data also showed more than half of adults surveyed never took swim lessons.

In Minnesota specifically, state officials reported 48 drownings last year, most of the victims were over 18. A stark reminder to even the best of swimmers to always practice their skills.

Those 48 drownings in Minnesota last year do not include anyone killed in boat crashes. According to the DNR, nine people were killed in boating-related incidents in 2023. More than half of them were not wearing life jackets.

The Fargo Park District is hosting water safety day at several pools on June 7th. It’s a free event and will have activities for adults and kids to learn water safety skills.

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