France recorded 1,013 drownings between 1 June and 13 August, a 14 % increase from the same period last year, according to a new report by Santé publique France. Of those incidents, 268 were fatal, representing roughly one in four cases. The agency highlighted a sharp rise in deaths among minors, with 37 children and adolescents losing their lives compared with 28 in 2024. The data point to particular risks in rivers and along the coast. Sixteen of the child fatalities occurred in inland waterways—nearly triple last year’s tally—while deaths in the sea rose 40 % to 113, mainly affecting adults. A stretch of extreme heat from 19 June to 6 July coincided with a 139 % jump in drownings, suggesting that the canicule pushed more people toward unsupervised swimming spots before full-season lifeguard patrols were in place. The release comes as prosecutors in Le Havre open an involuntary-homicide inquiry after a 15-year-old boy under Child Welfare Services drowned during a supervised beach outing on 19 August. Investigators say the group had not notified lifeguards and the teenager, who could not swim, was found outside the marked bathing zone. The case has intensified calls from health officials for stricter supervision and renewed public-safety campaigns as temperatures remain high across much of the country.