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Summer drownings surge in Morocco as unsupervised beaches drive fatalities
Morocco’s peak holiday season has been shadowed by a sharp rise in water emergencies, with thousands of swimmers pulled from the surf and dozens of lives lost in just over two months. The Directorate General of Civil Protection (DGPC) recorded 14,040 drowning or near-drowning incidents nationwide between May 1 and July 15, underscoring persistent safety gaps at popular beaches and remote swimming spots.
A seasonal toll with uneven risks
Rescue teams averted tragedy in the vast majority of cases: 13,970 people were saved thanks to rapid lifeguard response and coordinated emergency operations. Even so, 49 deaths were confirmed and 21 people remained missing during the period. The data reveal a stark safety divide. Officially supervised beaches registered 16 deaths and three missing swimmers, while unsupervised areas accounted for 33 deaths and 18 missing—more than double the fatalities, highlighting the peril of “wild” or remote beaches often favored by families and young people.
Why incidents spike in summer
Authorities and safety experts cite a mix of impulsiveness and overconfidence, especially among younger swimmers, as key drivers of risk-taking in rough waters or restricted zones. Inadequate safety measures and inconsistent signage at some sites compound the danger, while limited budgets push some beachgoers toward unmonitored areas where lifesaving resources are scarce. Dense crowds—often tens of thousands at a single beach on peak days—can overwhelm local capacities even where lifeguards are present.
Emergency response on the front lines
Civil Protection has deployed thousands of personnel and volunteers to high-traffic beaches, working in tandem with the Royal Gendarmerie, National Police, and, when needed, the Royal Navy for search operations. Municipalities have expanded safety signage and first-aid stations, but authorities acknowledge that current infrastructure struggles to match seasonal demand.
Toward a prevention-first approach
Officials and safety advocates are pushing long-term solutions aimed at prevention and faster response. Priorities include expanding supervised zones with trained lifeguards, tightening controls over forbidden areas, scaling public first-aid training, and rolling out modern rescue tools—from drones to connected buoys. School-based and media campaigns are designed to instill water-safety basics early, reinforcing that swimming only in monitored zones dramatically reduces the risk of fatal outcomes.