The number of Belgian citizens who died while outside their country's borders is lower in June and July this year compared to the same period in 2023. However, the official figures don't necessarily represent the reality.
From a Belgian woman being killed in the French Riviera and a hiker falling to his death while climbing the Tofanes in the Italian Dolomites to a man in his 60s dying in a paragliding accident in Aussois, eastern France: these are just some examples of the Belgian citizens who have recently lost their lives while on holiday or living abroad.
In June and July this year, a total of 108 Belgian citizens died abroad. However, this figure does likely not include all deaths.
Credit: Belga
"We are not on top of all deaths that happen abroad; we only have data when we are informed of a person who dies outside our borders, which doesn't always happen," Wouter Poels, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which keeps records of deaths abroad, told The Brussels Times. If a Belgian dies abroad, only the local authority and the Belgian embassy or consulate have to be informed.
Funeral specialist DELA, which handles about 80% of all repatriations of deceased Belgians through its repatriation centre at Brussels Airport, reported last year that its business has increased in recent years, likely because people are travelling more often or choosing to live abroad. Increasingly frequent extreme heatwaves also play a role.
Assistance abroad
While a Belgian death abroad seems to be making headlines multiple times a week, Poels noted that the Ministry's data showed the number of deaths was lower in June and July 2024 than in the same period last year, when 126 people died.
In July and August in previous years, 179 people died in 2021, 204 deaths were recorded in 2022 and 174 in 2023.
Poels also stressed that, in most cases, the people who died were living abroad long term, rather than tourists dying on holiday.
"This year, the countries where people lost their lives were more diverse, while the deaths were often the result of natural causes such as an illness or of old age," especially among people living abroad.
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When a person dies abroad, it is up to the family to decide what to do with the body. The Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Belgian embassy or consulate can provide the necessary information and help repatriate the body and personal belongings.
DELA, meanwhile, stressed the importance of investing in travel insurance, as the costs of the repatriating process can quickly mount up to tens of thousands of euros if the person wasn't insured.
