The National Maritime Authority recorded 22 deaths on Portuguese beaches during the 2024 bathing season, between May 1 and August 31, a period that also included 1,285 rescues and 2,359 first aid actions. Of the 22 deaths, 12 resulted from drowning and nine from sudden illness, with one death from an unknown cause also recorded.
Of the drowning deaths, five occurred on non-lifeguarded maritime beaches, two in non-lifeguarded maritime areas, two on beaches outside the bathing season, and three on lifeguarded beaches. Of the deaths from sudden illness, four occurred on lifeguarded beaches, three in non-lifeguarded maritime areas, and two outside the bathing season.
The Alentejo appears among the regions with deaths recorded during the bathing season, with emphasis on the Lagoa de Albufeira Interior, in Setúbal, where two deaths were recorded, one from drowning and one from sudden illness. Also on the Alentejo coast, São Torpes Sul beach, in Sines, recorded one death from sudden illness.
A missing swimmer since August 28 at Praia da Ursa, in the municipality of Sintra, district of Lisbon, was also reported, and in August four fatal cases were recorded, of which three were from sudden illness.
