Three year old boy dies tragically in Lake Rather: bathing accident shakes Cologne

Three year old boy dies tragically in Lake Rather: bathing accident shakes Cologne

Rather See, Köln, Deutschland - On June 21, 2025, a tragic bathing accident occurred at Rather See in Cologne, in which a three -year -old boy lost his life. Around 3:10 p.m., other bathers discovered the child lifeless under water. Unfortunately, the resuscitation measures initiated immediately could not prevent the boy from dying later in the clinic. The police, who initially reported a girl as a victim, quickly realizes that it was a boy. The criminal police have started the investigation into this alleged bathing accident. In the meantime, the fire brigade supplied around 30 bathers present and looked after the child's highly taken away parents who were brought to their daughter in the ambulance. At the time of the accident, the lake was greatly visited and the accident left deep traces.

This tragedy throws a light on the increasing numbers of bathing accidents in Germany. According to the German Life Rescue Society (DLRG), a total of 411 fatal accidents in waters were recorded in 2023-a worrying increase by 31 deaths compared to the previous year. This is the third increase in the drowned number in a row and for the first time since 2019, the figures are over 400. DLRG President Ute Vogt is concerned and emphasizes the need to sensitize people at the risk of the water in the upcoming warm season.

The worrying statistics

The DLRG notes that 48 percent of fatal bathing accidents happen in the summer months from June. It is particularly alarming that most deaths took place in inland waters, such as lakes and ponds, where a total of 146 people drowned in 2024. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the state with Rather See, 57 people died while bathing. A worrying trend is also the increased accidents that are due to health problems when jumping into the cold water, especially in older people and those with previous illnesses.

Another point of the DLRG, which should be addressed urgently, is the fact that around 20 percent of children leave primary school without learning to swim. In addition, more than half of the elementary school students cannot swim safely. The DLRG plans to draw attention to the dangers in the water through campaigns in particular with young children and to emphasize the importance of swimming lessons in indoor pools. Especially in times when many public swimming pools are threatened by closure, learning to swim is becoming an indispensable ability for children.

The terrible incident on Lake Rather has pointed out the public's dangers and is an urgent appeal to all parents to pay attention to the safety of their children. We hope that such tragedies can be avoided in the future and ask all bathers to be careful and prevent dangerous situations when bathing.