Three-quarters of people who drowned in Malta last year were men, the vast majority of whom were foreign, official figures show.

Data on drownings tabled in Parliament by Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela on Wednesday show that nine of the 12 people who tragically drowned last year were men, nine of whom were foreign.

Perhaps the highest profile drowning incident last year was that of a Polish couple whose romantic New Year’s Day stroll turned to tragedy.

The 50-year-old Polish woman was washed out to sea by a wave when she was on the rocks in the area known as Tas-Simar in Qala.

Eyewitnesses had recounted how her 51-year-old partner, a man, who was with her at the time, jumped into the sea to try and save her.

The sea conditions at the time were not rough but the area is susceptible to the odd freak wave. This, together with the cold January water temperatures and strong underwater currents, proved too much for the couple. The man was taking pictures of the woman by the water shortly before the tragedy.

The phenomenon of foreigners being more likely to drown is not a new one. Back in 2013 this newspaper reported how more than 70 per cent of the victims who drowned at sea in the past 10 years had not been Maltese. The majority had also been men.

Unseasonable rough seas often take foreign swimmers by surprise

At the time, the Times of Malta obtained the police incident reporting figures following two separate drowning tragedies in Gozo, which claimed the lives of seven tourists.

Between 2013 and 2003, 57 people fell victim to sea accidents – either while swimming or diving. Forty-two were foreigners – 29 men and 13 women. Out of the 15 Maltese drownings, 10 were male and five were female.

The most perilous months for drowning tragedies have been May, August and September. The months are well known for sudden northwesterly weather conditions which result in rough sea conditions.

Unseasonable rough seas often take many foreign swimmers by surprise and at times assistance from land is next to impossible because the winds and waves are dangerously strong.

Replying to supplementary questions, Mr Abela said migrant drownings usually happen in international waters, not in Maltese territorial waters.

In reply to another parliamentary question, Mr Abela said 23 people lost their lives in separate traffic accidents during 2016. Some 19 were Maltese nationals. The rest were from the UK (one), Libya, the Netherlands (one) and an unspecified foreign country. Seventeen of the victims were men.

The youngest victim was a 17-year-old Maltese girl and the oldest was a 97-year-old Maltese man.

Swimming SOS

■ If you see anyone in difficulty, call 112 rather than contacting a police station;

■ Go to beaches that are manned by lifeguards;

■ Heed the coloured beach flags indicating the sea conditions and do not swim when there are double red flags flying;

■ If you find yourself caught in a strong current, do not try to swim to shore, but swim sideways, parallel to the beach, so as to get out of the pull of the narrow outward current;

■ Take swimming lessons before venturing in the sea. Bear in mind that unlike in a pool, the sea can have undertows and strong currents;

■ Never dive without a buddy;

■ Ask a local for advice.

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