Watchdog calls for classes in water safety in all schools

Ireland’s water safety watchdog has called for compulsory water safety programmes in all schools after figures in its annual report showed a rise in the number of people who died by drowning.

The Irish Water Safety (IWS) annual report also showed that Cork county had the worst record in the whole country last year for deaths by drowning, and that together Cork City and county accounted for 20 of the 122 drownings in 2015.

Of the deaths by drowning last year, 66 were accidental and 33 by suicide, although the latter figure could be higher as another 23 deaths were defined as undetermined.