Paris: Second body recovered from Saint-Martin Canal days after previous drowning

Paris police recovered the body of a man in his thirties from the Saint-Martin Canal on Saturday, July 4, marking the second drowning incident in the waterway within a week. The discovery was made by firefighters and the river brigade early in the morning near the Quai de Valmy.

According to a police source, the body was significantly bloated, indicating it had been submerged for several days. The victim was not carrying any identification, leaving his identity unknown. This incident follows another drowning that occurred on June 26 in the same canal, reportedly while the individual was swimming outside the designated area.

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more than 90

The Saint-Martin Canal's summer swimming zone was opened in mid-June to help Parisians cope with a severe heatwave. While a portion of the canal remains open for swimming on Sundays, the recent incidents have raised concerns. Authorities reported that approximately fifty young people have also sustained injuries from jumping off bridges into the canal, an activity that is prohibited.

Nationally, the Minister of Sports and Youth, Marina Ferrari, announced on Thursday that the number of drowning deaths since June 19 has exceeded 90. She described this figure as "worrying." The city of Paris also launched its supervised swimming season on the Seine River on Saturday, with three free, monitored sites available in Bercy, Grenelle, and the Marais district.

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a worrying figure