Tragedy in the outdoor pool: 84-year-olds discovered dead in the water!

Tragedy in the outdoor pool: 84-year-olds discovered dead in the water!

Freibad Laakirchen, 4663 Laakirchen, Österreich - A tragic incident occurred on June 18, 2025 in the Laakirchen outdoor pool, Upper Austria. An 84-year-old woman was discovered by children who drove lifeless in the water. The alarmed father of the children as well as other bathers and rescue workers immediately hurried to help, but the resuscitation measures were unsuccessful, and the woman died. The exact cause of death is currently still unclear, but it is believed that the woman has suffered a medical emergency, probably an infarction. This reports 5min.at .

The circumstances of discovering the lifeless woman are only sparsely treated in further reports. There are no specific details on the identity of women, and there is no information about this situation on the part of the authorities or any investigations. The ORF Oberösterreich in this context does not provide any further reliable information, which also underlines the sadness of this incident.

drowning accidents and swimming security

With regard to the general security in the water, this tragedy is a sobering memory of the dangers associated with swimming. According to the swimming study 2024 of the Board of Trustees for Road Safety (KFV), 227,000 young people in Austria are potentially at risk of drowning. Every fifth child can drown into the water in an unforeseen fall, which underlines the urgency of swimming courses and safer swimming options. An average of 35 people die in Austria every year, with water accidents as the second most common cause of death in children. Informed Gesundheits.gv.at .

In Austria, around 134,000 children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 19 have no or very bad swimming skills. It is particularly worrying that parents often overestimate their children's swimming skills. The KFV security tips therefore recommend that you never leave children unattended and to ensure that swimming options are secured accordingly.

• not overestimate swimming knowledge
• Children dress in clearly visible colors
Protect
• pools and private waters
• take breaks regularly and do not remove too far from the bank
• Swimming buoys use

The tragic incident in the Laakirchen outdoor pool not only puts the individual tragedy of the deceased woman in the foreground, but also throws a light on the comprehensive problem of swimming safety in Austria. In view of the existing risks and the need for prevention, it is of the utmost importance to raise awareness of swimming skills and security guidelines.