A mother and her two young children have died after getting into difficulty while swimming in the Esca River in northern Spain. The 29-year-old woman and her children, aged 11 and three, were found deceased at the Roncal dam, a popular local beauty spot. Emergency services, including paramedics and an air ambulance, responded to the scene after the alarm was raised at approximately 4:39 p.m. on Tuesday. Rescuers attempted resuscitation for over an hour, but all three were pronounced dead at the location.
Spain's Civil Guard is investigating the incident and is treating the deaths as accidental, seeking to confirm there were no suspicious circumstances. The identities of the deceased, who were from the Roncal Valley, have not been released. In response to the tragedy, the Roncal Town Council has declared three days of official mourning.
In a statement, the council expressed its deep sorrow for the incident and solidarity with the families and friends of the deceased, offering assistance with necessary procedures. This incident occurred during a period of elevated drowning fatalities in Spain. The previous weekend, from July 10-12, eight people died in separate drowning incidents across the country, with victims at beaches, a hotel swimming pool, a river, and a reservoir. These victims included elderly individuals, swimmers, and tourists. Fatalities were reported in Valencia, Tarragona, Ibiza, Pontevedra, Ávila/Madrid, Girona, Badalona, and Gipuzkoa.