How Quickly things can Happen

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20101018/tuk-girl-dies-in-hotel-pool-on-family-ho-45dbed5.html

A six-year-old British girl has drowned in a hotel swimming pool on the Spanish holiday island of Gran Canaria. Megan Thrower was reportedly on a week-long autumn break with her family.

The little girl is understood to have got into difficulties in the water at around midday.

She was pulled from the pool by a waiter and emergency services were called but were unable to save her, according to the Spanish press.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Playa del Ingles, Gran Canaria, on October 17.

"We are offering consular assistance to the family."

A member of staff at the four star Hotel Gran Canaria Princess, where Megan drowned, said she could not comment on whether a lifeguard was on duty by the pool at the time of the accident.

A spokeswoman for tour operator Thomson said: "Thomson regrets to confirm that one of its customers died yesterday following a tragic accident while on holiday in Gran Canaria.

"We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased at what must be a truly difficult time.

"Our resort staff continue to offer every support and assistance to the family involved.

"However, in the interests of customer confidentiality, we are not at liberty to provide any further details at this time."

The family, reportedly from King's Lynn in Norfolk, had checked into the seven-floor hotel situated half a mile from the beach on the south of the island.

The accommodation has 434 rooms, large pools and a range of facilities for children.

Spanish police are investigating the incident.
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I wonder who was watching this little girl?

Children and water, whether bath, sea, pool or pond are a lethal combination which im sure most people know already, and yet there are still the most tragic accidents with the children paying the dreadful price.

mara thon

This is a terrible thing to happen - the worst of all is for it to happen in a holiday resort. As you say, children need to supervised and who was supposedly watching her. We all know a child can drown in mere inches of water - they have in the past. I can't imagine how awful this must be for the family.

Angelique

It is awful angelique i cannot imagine how the family are. Its just takes seconds, a turn of the head, a glance away and tragedy strikes. I hope this family gets excellent consular assistance.

Looking at the pool photos on the hotel's website, there does not appear to be a lifeguard stand or any lifeguards, only some rescue rings. I doubt that the resort had lifeguards if a waiter was the person to first notice the child in distress. Where were the parents? They should have been first to notice the child in trouble. Even if there were a lifeguard, a lifeguard is not a babysitter for non-water-safe children. Parents need to supervise their young children around pools at all times, with or without a lifeguard.

A very sad thing to happen. She was on her second day of her holiday as well. It reinforces the fact that parents have the ultimate responsibility for the safety of their children.