NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Nine children under the age of five have died in pool drownings across Virginia since Memorial Day, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
The latest incident occurred over the weekend in the Tidewater region, marking a continued rise in accidental drownings during the summer months.
“A large percentage of drownings that occur in residential or backyard pool settings,” said Environmental Health Coordinator Briana Bill with the Virginia Department of Health. “A person can only go through this drowning response for anywhere from 20 to 60s. We’re not talking minutes here. We’re talking seconds.”
So far in 2025, at least 13 children in Virginia have died in accidental drownings, including in bathtubs, health officials said.
“Children can drown in as little as two inches of water,” Bill said. “All it takes is for someone to be face down and unsupervised for a drowning to occur.”
Experts warn that drowning is often silent and is not as dramatic as seen in film or television. State health officials explain that the instinctive drowning response — when the body involuntarily attempts to stay above water — can appear subtle or even go unnoticed.
“If someone is to observe someone in the water quietly looking like they’re trying to climb a ladder and they’re not responding to communication, that is definitely an indicator that someone is involved in a drowning experience,” Bill said.
The health department urges active and undistracted supervision around any body of water, including pools, bathtubs and even shallow containers.
“Shallow water doesn’t always equate safety,” Bill added.
Drowning remains the leading cause of death among children ages 1 to 4, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
