A 27-year-old woman has drowned off the coast of Texel and two others were rescued after being swept out by a rip current on Sunday, police have said.

Emergency services were called out to De Koog at 7.30pm after the swimmers got into difficulty, but were unable to save all three.

Police said the woman is from the island but did not comment on the identity or condition of the two who survived.

Accidental drownings are on the rise in the Netherlands, with 107 registered in 2024 compared to an average of 89 in the last 10 years, according to figures from statistics agency CBS.

Half of those who died were over the age of 60 and most were men, the paper said. The high number of deaths among the over 60s may be down to a decline in swimming skills, swim safety organisation NRZ said.

In addition, the organisation said, they may not be in a good physical condition, and men over 60 in particular tend to overestimate their abilities.