Four men drowned on the Dutch North Sea coast on Sunday due to strong winds and currents, rescue authorities said on Monday.
Tropical temperatures contributed to dangerous currents and strong winds, resulting in a “very treacherous sea,” the rescue brigade said.
Authorities had previously imposed a ban on swimming along the northern coast for a stretch up to south of The Hague.
Two men aged 24 and 28 died by the beach at The Hague. Two other men, one in his late fifties and one in his early twenties, drowned in Wijk aan Zee and Zandvoort respectively.
The men were rescued from the water, but resuscitation attempts failed.
Rescue authorities said that 270 people were rescued on Sunday in total, out of which 59 received first aid.
Many ignored the swimming ban and entered the water with inflatable mattresses, rescue authorities said.
The beach crowds further complicated the rescue efforts.
