As Germany sweltered in temperatures near 40 degrees, at least 12 people were reported drowned on Sunday in swimming accidents across the country, with several others still missing. There were children and young people among the dead: in Bavaria a 4-year-old drowned in a quarry pond, while a 6-year-old was carried away by the current after swimming in the Rhine in Cologne, dpa reported. In the western town of Siegen, a boy drowned in a natural outdoor pool; there were also reports of drownings in the states of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hesse, Hamburg and Brandenburg. The German Life-savers' Society (DLRG) said 392 people drowned in Germany last year, mostly in rivers and lakes, so they recommend that people only swim where there are lifeguards. The weekend was the hottest of the year, but still short of the 40.2-degree record last reached in 2003.
