VA sees spike in child pool drownings; health officials urge water safety

Health Officials say drowning can happen in as little as 20 seconds — no splashing, no yelling, no warning. This summer, Virginia health officials are urging parents to act after child pool drowning deaths reached a high point in 2025.

The Virginia Department of Health reported 12 children between the ages of 0 and 4 died from drowning in pools in 2025 — the highest number in the last 6 years. Several of those deaths occurred in the Hampton Roads area.

This summer, at least 2 local children have died in the water — a 2-year-old in Hampton and a child in the Kempsville section of Virginia Beach and another child died in March…

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