Swimming pools are associated with joy and relaxation but overlooking safety measures can quickly turn them into a danger zone. An eight-year-old boy in Samdrup Jongkhar drowned in a swimming pool yesterday around 5:30 pm. The deceased was a class one student at the Samdrup Jongkhar Primary School.
According to the hotel owner, where the incident took place, the pool was closed for water treatment.
However, the staff allowed three children to enter the pool upon their request. The owner stated that while children usually require parental supervision to use the pool, the staff allowed the children to use the smaller pool.
Unfortunately, the deceased went to the deeper side of the pool unnoticed by the staff, who were taking milkshake orders from the other two children.
According to sources, they suspect that the boy must have lost hold of the tube and drowned. During the incident, his friends were in the shallower small pool and were unaware of the incident unfolding. No one noticed the boy drowning.
Upon examination, no external injuries were found on the boy’s body. The medical doctor determined the cause of death as asphyxiation or the result of oxygen deprivation due to drowning.
The Samdrup Jongkhar Thromde said that apart from testing water quality, they have urged the swimming pool owners to take comprehensive safety measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
Meanwhile, the father of the deceased said he was unaware of his son’s visit to the swimming pool and plans to seek further information about the circumstances that led to the event.
Kinley Wangchuk, Samdrup Jongkhar
Edited by Sonam Pem
