MANILA
\nAt least 72 people have died by drowning in the Philippines since the start of the month, police said Monday, attributing the unusually high figure in part to millions hitting the beach for Holy Week.
\nThe holiday is traditionally marked in the Catholic-majority nation by millions of people leaving the capital Manila to spend time with family.
\nPhilippine National Police spokeswoman Col. Jean Fajardo said the high toll was partly due to \u201crevenge travel\u201d as the country emerges from years of mobility restrictions to contain the coronavirus.
\n\u201cPeople got a bit excited to go to beaches and resorts,\u201d Fajardo said.
\nA breakdown of the fatalities was not immediately available, but Fajardo said the victims included children who were left unattended by guardians while swimming, as well as people who hit beaches while drunk.
\nFajardo called the death toll \u201cunusual\u201d and higher than past years.
\n\u201cResorts and beaches were packed. This also contributed to the number of drowning incidents,\u201d she added.
\nThe World Health Organization has said drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide, with an estimated 236,000 fatalities annually.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MANILA At least 72 people have died by drowning in the Philippines since the start of the month, police said Monday, attributing the unusually high figure in part to millions hitting the beach for Holy Week. The holiday is traditionally marked in the Catholic-majority nation by millions of people leaving the capital Manila to spend […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325106,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-325096","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n