Three members of the same family were found dead in a swimming pool in the Costa Del Sol on Christmas Eve after a father, along with his teenage son, tried to save their nine-year-old daughter. The mother of the children, who witnessed the tragic event, was seen praying for them to come back to life as another tourist performed CPR on the family members. The tragedy began when a nine-year-old girl got into difficulty in the swimming pool at the Club La Costa holiday resort. Her father, 52, and older brother, 16, jumped in after her but also became stuck and were found unresponsive shortly after. Police were seen investigating the pool pump system at the resort after local media reported an experienced member of staff faced issues when trying to retrieve the three family members from the pool. Investigators are understood to have analysed the circulation system including the pump and network of skimmers and drains to check for any suction problems which could be deadly for young children. But last night, the resort management said: “The Guardia Civil have carried out a full investigation which found no concerns relating to the pool in question or procedures in place, which leaves us to believe this was a tragic accident which has left everyone surrounding the incident in shock.” Late on Christmas Day, they confirmed the Civil Guard had authorised the reopening of the pool where the tragedy took place. Father-of-three Josias Fletchman, who attempted to save the lives of the three holidaymakers, said the mother “stayed calm” as she touched her loved ones’ and prayed their hearts would start beating again while he tried to save her husband’s life. The 35-year-old from Manchester told how he returned to the apartment block where the tragedy occurred as staff at holiday complex Club La Costa World were pulling the three out of the water. Mr Fletchman described the family as being of Afro-Caribbean descent like him and from the London area. Mr Fletchman said: “The mum was praying for them to come back to life. “She was calm. She was touching their bodies. She continued praying even after the ambulance people arrived and had stopped trying to revive them. "She exercised her faith to the limit. I was performing CPR on her husband but I’m a believer and I prayed as well. “She strengthened me in the way she reacted. It just wasn’t meant to be.” Eni Raja, 22, originally from Norway but now living in Birmingham, added: “I saw the bodies with the three white blankets over them. “The mum was crying. I can’t get the image out of my mind.” Local reports say police have also searched for any items of clothing that might have got stuck in the pool drain and taken water samples to test ahead of the autopsies, which were due to take place on Christmas Day at Malaga’s Institute of Forensic Medicine. The results of the autopsies will be passed on to an investigating judge but are rarely officially made public in Spain. The names of the father and two children have not been released. Well-placed sources have confirmed the nine-year-old and her father were British, but the 16-year-old was travelling on an American passport. Trained counsellors are now spending time with the mother and her other child, thought to be a teenage daughter, while other relatives fly to Spain from the UK. Costa Club World spokesman Juan Jose Millan said: “The pool has all its paperwork in order and what we know from the Civil Guard is that there is no anomaly with the pool suction system which press reports have highlighted. “But for us the most important thing at the moment is to care for the family and enable them to get the privacy and rest they need right now..” He added: “This has been a terrible occurrence and staff and some guests are receiving psychological support along with the family.” Some guests of the hotel had placed candles as a memorial to the three who lost their lives. A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said after news of the tragedy emerged: “We are offering assistance to a British woman following an incident in Spain.”
It's astonishing how many blacks can't swim. I'd say it's a tragedy resulting from one trying to save the other then the 3rd trying to save the other two. I bet none of them could swim, one got out their depth and into difficulty triggering a tragic chain of events. Simple as that. As for the mother praying. A lot of Africans are religious to the point of utter delusion. I've sat in engineering meetings in Nigeria and when we've encountered technical problems it's been suggested we must pray more/correctly. Fucking nutters. Holding highly impressive qualifications. No shit.
What I find hard to believe is that there was no life guard there to help out. Every public swimming pool in Spain has to have a guard there while the pool is open.
Cold water shock could have been a factor in this tragedy. It would be dependent on the water temperature and the air temperature though. Also the rescuers experience in water. Tragic accident, my sympathies to the family.
The news said that a pool of over 200m2 (iirc) has to have a life guard, smaller than that, they do not. The resort looks to have a load of small pools, maybe to get around the legislation. Something doesn't add up, but if they were non swimmers, it may explain it. Maybe the father and brother have jumped in to save the daughter without thinking.
Not sure, Rob. Our communal pool is less than 200M square and has to have a life guard and a few buoys dotted about. Unless the rule changes from province to province...
I don't know, I'm just saying what was said on the news. It very well may not have been 200m2 by the way, but they did mention a figure.
Just had a quick read through the Ser Spanish news channel and they’re saying exactly what the OP said at the beginning. Strange.
The post mortem summary will be declared a "Unfortunate accident",no foul play and maybe this way new rules will be in enforced on these holiday oulets in the future to avoid tragic accidents like this ever happening again.
Might have been pissed as well who knows it doesn’t take long to drown and it’s true blacks and Asians really struggle with swimming I have been totally bewildered by this tragedy until it was mentioned they were black...absolute tragedy I would say and nothing less.
There are early reports that the experienced (in the water) staff member having difficulty in recovering the people to the edge. Others talk of the little girl being held under water by the suction of the filtration system. It seems unlikely that an adult and a 16 year old male UK and American would be unable to swim and both be so unfit. Further all these investigations appear to have been carried out so quickly over the Christmas period. I think either Chlorination or electric has played and may have played a part in this.,IMHO.
People of Black African descent don’t float that well in water as a swimming teacher once advised me. You don’t need to be unfit to suffer cold water shock, many people described as strong swimmers drown in cold water. Surely if the water was too chlorinated/electrified then anyone trying subsequently to get their bodies from the water would also be affected to a lesser degree?
I've had cold water shock and as a SCUBA diver since the late 80's (currently Rescue diver PADI) I have to agree. Poor Knights Island, off New Zealand (one of the best dive spots on the globe). The water was circa 14°C and I'd completely forgot I'd gone to see Penguins just a few days before (didn't find any). Couldn't get on with any of the wets suits, too much pinch... so jumped in with just a BCD. It felt like I'd been hit by a car... tried to be brave, but used all my air in 35 minutes.... should have lasted over an hour.
