Heat wave claimed 15 lives in water accidents in United Kingdom

© Darren Tolley via Unsplash

At least 15 people have died in accidents in the water during the past few days' heat wave in the United Kingdom, which broke temperature records for May.

The victims include a 13-year-old girl pulled from the River Wharfe in North Yorkshire, a 15-year-old girl who got into trouble in the sea off Merseyside, and a woman in her 60s who drowned trying to rescue her dog in Lancashire. An 11-year-old boy who went into the River Don in South Yorkshire is still missing.

The deaths follow record temperatures of more than 35°C recorded last week. The heat wave is now over and cooler and interchangeable weather is expected in the UK in the coming days.

Summer always sees a rise in statistics of water-related deaths: 202 cases were recorded over all in 2025. In 2021, the number was as high as 315 cases.

Illustration image: © Darren Tolley via Unsplash