Four drown in region as national toll soars

The Marlborough region had four drownings in the region last year.

Water Safety New Zealand has just released its 2011 drownings report which shows none of the people who drowned in Marlborough were from here, but a Marlborough resident did die elsewhere in the country.

The national drowning toll was 123, up 41 per cent on 2010 and the worst result since 2003.

There were 66 recreational drownings, 24 non-recreational, 30 recorded as other activities, and three unclassified fatal incidents.

This year, there have been 15 drownings to date nationally.

Marlborough had the second highest drowning rate in proportion to its population, just behind the West Coast. Water Safety NZ chief executive Matt Claridge said it was a huge disappointment to see the reversal of what had been a long-term decline in the number of drownings.

"To go from a record low in 2010 to a significant increase in 2011 is a tragedy and we will do everything we can to continue to inform and educate people about water safety to ensure 2012 is a better year," he said.

He said it was hard to determine the reason for 2011's high toll but New Zealand had an ongoing issue with a casual attitude to safety. "Many of the drownings during recreational activities could have been prevented if people remembered the safety basics."

- © Fairfax NZ News

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