Image: Martti Kainulainen / Lehtikuva

A 36-year-old woman drowned in Vantaa this morning after jumping into the water to save a child.



The child was saved by a bystander and is in good physical health, but the woman was found dead after a search lasting for an hour at the Vetokannas swimming beach.

According to initial observations from the fire and rescue service, the woman appeared to be a mother who jumped in to help her child and then got into difficulties.

"The mother noticed the situation and went to save her child, got the child out of the water, held out the child to someone else and then drowned herself," said fire chief Ari Koivu.

Lifeguards on the scene

According to initial information from the police, the mother and child suddenly slipped beneath the surface, and a bystander from the beach managed to save the child. Police have launched an investigation to determine the cause of death.

Vetokannas is a municipal swimming spot with a diving board and lifeguards, with water several metres deep in places. At the time of the drowning some 1,000 people were on the beach, according to Koivu.

New figures show that July saw an uptick in the number of drownings in Finland's lakes and rivers, with some 13 people losing their lives in the water this month.

In June only six people drowned, according to preliminary figures from the Finnish swimming and lifesaving federation. Since the start of the year 41 people have lost their lives in the water.