A man drowns in a reservoir where bathing is prohibited, next to the San Juan reservoir

A 34-year-old man drowned this Friday in the Picadas reservoir, an enclave where bathing is prohibited and very close to the San Juan reservoir, located in the Madrid town of Aldea del Fresno.

The victim, who had gone to this area where the Alberche River flows with some friends, “disappeared”, according to his companions, who, concerned, alerted 112 Emergencies of the Community of Madrid.

The Red Cross Rescue and Salvage Group and the Underwater Activities Group of the Madrid Community firefighters then went into action, who in a joint operation deployed a search device in the vicinity of this reservoir.

The body, lifeless, was found in one of the dives a few minutes. According to the first investigations, the man would have tried to swim across this enclave, where there are dangerous currents and could have suffered “an accident, submerging.”

The corpse has been recovered and transferred to the shore by the rescue personnel, who have made it available to the Civil Guard.

On social networks, some residents of the area have demanded more vigilance in it, recalling that bathing is prohibited and asking that it not be promoted, by some people, as “Madrid's natural pool”.

This summer the number of deaths in aquatic spaces throughout the national territory is surprising, with 57 individuals having lost their lives in June and 67 so far in July. Figure that increases, if we do the total calculation from January 1 to today, up to 236 victims.

The region's Minister for the Environment, Agriculture and the Interior, Carlos Novillo, warned today of the danger posed by reservoirs, swamps and river banks, due to the false sense of security they offer. And he has insisted that precautions must be taken and bathing only in areas authorized by the Community of Madrid: “You must be very attentive, especially small children. Bodies of water, like reservoirs, give a sense of security, but they are actually dangerous.”