The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has updated its travel advice for Spain, warning British tourists about the dangers of swimming following a series of drownings. The warning comes after a three-year-old British girl died in Mallorca after being found floating face down in a swimming pool.
The FCDO advises that every year, people drown in the sea and in swimming pools in Spain. It stresses that children should always be supervised and kept within arm's reach in and around swimming pools, even if they can swim or a lifeguard is present.
For sea swimming, the FCDO warns of strong undercurrents on some beaches, especially around Spanish islands, and hidden rocks or shallow depths that can cause serious injury or death. It advises against diving into unknown water and swimming at beaches where a river runs into the sea.
Tourists are urged to learn the Spanish beach flag system to identify unsafe swimming spots. The warning coincides with predictions of above-normal temperatures across Spain this summer, with a probability exceeding 70% for warmer-than-usual weather on the Iberian Peninsula, Balearic Islands, and Canary Islands.
