Mother and her two children die while swimming in river in Spain

Published: 23:16, 15 July 2026 | Updated: 23:29, 15 July 2026 A mother and her two young children have died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a river in northern Spain. The 29-year-old woman and her children, aged 11 and three, were found dead in the Esca River at the Roncal dam, a popular beauty spot in the Pyrenees known for its clear waters and picnic areas. Emergency services, including paramedics and an air ambulance, rushed to the scene after the alarm was raised at 4.39pm on Tuesday. Rescuers spent more than an hour trying to revive the family, but all three were pronounced dead at the scene. Spain's Civil Guard is treating the deaths as accidental and has launched an investigation to confirm there were no suspicious circumstances. The identities of the mother and her children, who were from the Roncal Valley, have not been released, reports the Sun. In the wake of the tragedy, Roncal Town Council has declared three days of official mourning. In a statement, they said: 'Roncal Town Council wishes to express, on behalf of the entire town, its deep sorrow for the incident, its solidarity with the families and friends of the deceased, and its willingness to assist the affected families with any necessary procedures.' The 29-year-old woman and her children, aged 11 and three, were found dead in the Esca River at the Roncal dam Eight people died in separate drowning incidents across Spain over the weekend of July 10–12, with fatalities occurring at beaches, a hotel swimming pool, a river and a reservoir. The victims included elderly beachgoers, swimmers and tourists. Deaths were reported in Valencia, Tarragona, Ibiza, Pontevedra, Ávila/Madrid, Girona, Badalona and Gipuzkoa.  Several victims could not be revived despite CPR and defibrillator use, while one swimmer's body was recovered after a search operation.  One drowning occurred after lifeguard hours had ended, and another happened while a yellow warning flag was in place.