Panama.- Three people died by drowning during the Carnival 2026 festivities, according to the official report of the
National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc).
The victims were a minor of 8 years old in the Charco Aguas Blancas sector, in Penonomé (Coclé); an adult of 45 years old in the Charco Las Lajas spa, in Gualaca (Chiriquí); and a minor of 5 years old in the Toma de Agua sector, in Santiago (Veraguas).
The deaths were recorded within the framework of the Guardianes 2026 – Phase II operation, deployed nationwide during the four days of Carnival.
Sinaproc also reported that nine aquatic rescues were carried out in different parts of the country, all with positive results for the people involved.
The rescues were distributed as follows: three at Canadian Beach, in West Panama; three at Estero Rico Beach, in Chiriquí; and three at Los Olivos Beach, also in Chiriquí, the latter attended by units of the National Border Service (Senafront). In each of the cases, the people were rescued by the response teams.
During the operation, Sinaproc maintained coverage at 50 points nationwide, where 33,565 people were counted among visitors, users, and bathers.
The highest flow was recorded on Sunday, February 15th with 10,567 people, followed by Monday the 16th with 9,990, Saturday the 14th with 6,868 and Tuesday the 17th with 6,140.
Regarding the traditional “culecos”, the report details that 126,843 people attended 10 national coverage points. Tuesday the 17th was the day of greatest concentration with 58,853 attendees, followed by Sunday the 15th with 26,490, Saturday the 14th with 25,900 and Monday the 16th with 15,600.
In addition to rescues, emergency units provided 20 assists on beaches, 10 assists in water fights, and responded to three incidents on trails in the province of Chiriquí. These interventions were part of the preventive deployment coordinated with the security forces.
The movement towards the interior of the country also marked the day. More than 148,000 vehicles moved to different provinces during the Carnival festivities, generating a high vehicular flow on the main national roads.
For its part, the Ministry of Health (Minsa) reported that upon the conclusion of the festivities, 17,074 medical attentions were provided in hospitals and in the primary network, mainly for emergency cases.
Among the records, 1,389 trauma cases stand out, 49 for burns, 102 for food poisoning, and 84 for vehicular accidents.
During the same period, eight deaths were recorded, according to the official health report. The Ministry of Health also detailed that 472 transfers were carried out due to medical emergencies, of which 455 were by land, 10 by water and 7 by air.
