Portugal's National Maritime Authority (AMN) has released its tally for the 2026 bathing season, which ran from 1 May to 31 October. It recorded 31 fatal incidents on beaches and other maritime areas under its jurisdiction, 17 of them drownings and 12 linked to sudden illness.
Among the cases was the death of a 64-year-old Swiss tourist at the Doca do Cavacas natural pools in Funchal on 19 October. According to the AMN, the alert came in at 4 p.m. and rescue teams were deployed, but efforts to revive him failed. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
The authority also reported 1,479 rescues and 2,782 first-aid interventions over the same period.