Drowning has become the most common cause of death among 5-14 year olds in Guangdong Province, according to the Guangdong Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 4,400 people a year drown in Guangdong and the majority are children. They are particularly vulnerable at this time of year when water sports are at their most popular, gdchinanews reports.

A 5-year study that took in 10 counties, a number of districts such as Guangzhou’s Yuexiu and villages such as Wuhua in Meizhou and Taishan in Jiangmen showed that 1,114 people a year drowned in those areas. The ratio of male to female victims was 7:4 and the ratio of rural to urban victims was 8:3.

Drowning accounts for over 96% of fatal accidents among that age group in the province’s rural areas, and 70% in urban areas.

Drowning also accounts for 15.2% of suicides in urban areas.

Only 0.62% of these deaths happen in swimming pools and 0.6% happen in bathtubs and barrels. The rest happen in rivers, lakes, canals and the sea.

Stories such as this one occur often to remind us that children should never be left unsupervised when swimming.