More information emerged on Monday regarding the tragic drowning death of a 3-year-old toddler in café bar pool on the holiday island of Rhodes, with local media reports saying child was attending a children’s party at the venue, accompanied by her grandmother.
The same reports have the toddler falling into the main pool after having just eaten, resulting in her sinking to the bottom without anyone noticing for an estimated three to four minutes.
First responders that arrived at the scene in a relatively short amount of time said that a large quantity of water had entered the unfortunate child’s lungs.
The latest pool tragedy again highlighted the issue of lifeguards at the thousands of pools around Greece – hotels, clubs, resorts etc. – as no such personnel on duty at the specific venue. A customer, who happens to be a trained lifeguard, spotted the body of the toddler at the bottom of the pool, with another patron jumping in to retrieve the child. Resuscitation efforts began immediately as the scene at the establishment soon resembled scenes from an ancient Greek tragedy.
The victim was transported to a nearby hospital from the Ialyssos location without a pulse.
The owner of the cafe-bar was arrested, as is the customary practice in such fatal or near-fatal occurrences and was later freed on order of a local prosecutor. A police investigation has commenced into the case. The man faces a possible involuntary homicide charge and violating regulations governing food and entertainment establishments.
