A total of four people – two of them children – are reported to have tragically died in water at the weekend during the hottest weather of the year so far.

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In the capital Berlin, an 11-year-old boy encountered difficulties while swimming at a small stretch of water called the Jungfernheideteich, in the west of the city, on Saturday evening. According to the police, a man pulled the child ashore in a bid to save him. The boy later died in hospital, reported Spiegel.

In Lower Saxony, an 11-year-old boy died on Saturday afternoon after swimming in the Silbersee lake in Stuhr, south of Bremen. Two friends had reported him missing to the German Life-Saving Association (DLRG). Divers rescued the boy from the lake about 20 minutes later.

He was taken by ambulance to hospital in Bremen, however he died on Sunday night.

Two tragedies in Bavaria

In the southern state of Bavaria, a 19-year-old man died on Sunday. He had reportedly been swimming with a friend in the Nehfahrner Mühlseen lake, near Freisling, when he got into difficulties.

The pair had been trying to swim to an island in the middle of the lake, police said.

After a major search operation, divers rescued the young man from the water. However, he later died in hospital.

A 78-year-old man also died in Bavaria. Passers-by reportedly discovered the man on Sunday at Schafirrsee lake in Ingolstadt and pulled him out of the water, according to police reports. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to figures, more than 300 people died in Germany last summer in connection with swimming incidents.  

Experts say high temperatures draw more people to Germany’s lakes, rivers and canals, which increases the risk of people getting into difficulties in the water.