Boy's tragic death at Croatian aquapark due to no lifeguard present
Tragedy at the swimming pool in the town of Velika. A 12-year-old boy drowned at the Shhhuma Aquapark. According to local media reports, no lifeguard was present during the incident. Security guards assisted those resuscitating the child, but the 12-year-old could not be saved.
The tragedy occurred on Thursday at the Shhhuma Aquapark in Velika's eastern part of the country. As reported on the slobodnadalmacija.hr portal, a child drowned in one of the pools. Unofficial reports state he was 12 years old.
The paramedic who resuscitated the child stated that there was no lifeguard at the facility. There was no raised platform or tower from which the pool area could be observed.
A child drowned in Croatia. Eyewitness accounts
Witnesses describe the rescue operation in the aquapark. "My colleague and I are from Osijek. Both of us work in healthcare. Thank God we were on the spot, but unfortunately, this is how it ended," describes one of the women. She adds that the boy was in a group of children under the supervision of a coach.
The coach called the child and then noticed that someone was lying at the bottom of the pool. We immediately jumped into the water; he pulled him up to the surface, and I pulled him out of the pool and started resuscitation straight away. We called the emergency services and continued resuscitation for another hour or an hour and a half; I don't know how long it lasted, adds the eyewitness.
According to her account, two security guards working at the aquapark were informed about the dramatic situation. However, they did not jump into the water; they only brought a first aid kit, which lacked essential equipment.
We asked for a first aid kit, and there were some bandages in it. They didn't even have a tube to clear airways, which is a basic necessity. They had no one, no lifeguard, no doctor... It's too large a complex for there to be none, says the eyewitness of the child's drowning.
The tragedy occurred in a complex covering more than 183,000 square feet. The company responsible for the facility has not yet responded to why there was no lifeguard on site.
