30% of drowning victims who reach ER die; patients in their 70s most at risk

Nearly one in three drowning victims who reach an emergency room dies, according to a new government probe.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency released the findings Friday ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day on Saturday, drawing on its in-depth emergency room injury patient survey. Of 505 patients who visited emergency rooms at 23 hospitals nationwide following unintentional drowning incidents, 154 — or 30.5 percent — died.

The data, compiled over five years from 2021 through last year, showed patients aged 70 and older accounted for the largest share at 148 cases, or 29.3 percent. That age group also recorded the highest fatality rate at 51.4 percent.

Children aged 0 to 9 made up the second-largest group with 135 cases (26.7 percent), followed by those aged 60 to 69 with 70 cases (13.9 percent), underscoring the particular vulnerability of the elderly and young children.

However, the patterns of incidents varied by age group.

For children aged 0 to 9, more than half of all incidents (51.1 percent) occurred in summer, concentrated during school vacation and holiday periods. By location, cases were spread across public facilities including bathhouses and water parks (28.9 percent), residential facilities (28.1 percent), and outdoor settings such as the sea and rivers (23.0 percent).

Among those aged 70 and older, incidents were most common in winter (42.6 percent), with public facilities accounting for a particularly high share of locations at 68.9 percent.

By sex, men accounted for 377 cases (74.7 percent) — roughly three times the number of women (25.3 percent).

The peak period was the summer months of June through August, with weekends and afternoon hours identified as the highest-risk times.

August recorded the highest monthly share at 14.5 percent, followed by June at 11.7 percent and July at 10.9 percent, with summer months combined reaching 37.1 percent of all drowning cases.

By day of the week, Saturday was the most common at 20.6 percent, followed by Sunday at 17.8 percent and Friday at 15.2 percent. More than half of all incidents — 53.6 percent — occurred on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays.

By time of day, noon to 6 p.m. accounted for the largest share at 40.4 percent, with 6 p.m. to midnight making up another 33.7 percent.

Outdoor locations were the most common site of incidents at 44.9 percent, followed by public facilities at 32.7 percent, residential facilities at 10.1 percent and sports facilities such as swimming pools at 9.1 percent.

Leisure activities accounted for 46.5 percent of drowning incidents, while 33.3 percent occurred during everyday activities.

KDCA Commissioner Lim Seung-gwan urged the public to take extra precautions, saying drowning "occurs in an instant and carries a very high risk of death, making prevention above all else critical." He called for particular attention to water safety for the elderly, who face high risks of both incidents and fatalities, and for children, who require constant supervision from guardians.