- A four-year-old boy has drowned at a swimming pool at a beach bar complex in Paros, prompting authorities to arrest the business owner and the child’s parents.
- All three face charges of manslaughter through negligence.
- The business owner, who is also registered as the pool’s lifeguard, was due to appear before a public prosecutor at a court in Syros on Sunday over the incident, which occurred Saturday afternoon.
- According to preliminary reports, two customers found the child unconscious in the pool and alerted staff.
- A barman pulled him from the water, and resuscitation efforts were carried out at the scene.
- The boy was then taken by ambulance to a clinic, where doctors continued attempts to revive him before he was pronounced dead.
- The child’s parents were released Saturday night after preliminary legal procedures.
- Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the drowning, focusing in particular on whether the business owner was on duty as lifeguard when the incident occurred.
- The beach bar has announced it will remain closed for the day “in tribute to the boy’s memory” and has issued a statement expressing its “profound and sincere condolences” for the loss.
- Initial findings indicate that the parents were at the beach bar by the sea and not near the pool when their son drowned.
- Witnesses said there was no lifeguard on duty at the swimming pool, which was 5m deep at points.
- The tragedy has shaken the island at the height of the Greek holiday season.
A four-year-old boy tragically drowned in a swimming pool at a beach bar in Paros, Greece, while his parents were swimming in the sea. The incident occurred Saturday afternoon, leading to the arrest of the bar owner, who is also the registered lifeguard, and the boy's parents on manslaughter through negligence charges.1
Preliminary reports indicate that two customers discovered the child unconscious in the pool and alerted staff. A barman attempted to resuscitate the boy before paramedics arrived, but he was pronounced dead at a clinic shortly after. The beach bar has since closed for the day in tribute to the boy and expressed its “profound and sincere condolences” to the family.69
Authorities are investigating whether the bar owner was on duty as a lifeguard at the time of the incident. Initial findings suggest the parents were not near the pool when their son drowned. “The lack of attention, supervision, or even absence at the bathing area by the adults in charge is the main cause of these human tragedies,” said Sebastián Quintana, a drowning prevention expert. He emphasized that drowning is often a silent event, warning parents to remain vigilant.
This incident has raised alarms, especially following a summer where six children drowned in just 72 hours, prompting urgent warnings for tourists with children.
“The bar owner, also the pool's registered lifeguard, faces a court appearance in Syros on Sunday, while authorities probe whether he was on duty. The tragedy follows six child drownings in 72 hours in June, prompting expert Sebastián Quintana to warn that 'a child won't scream for help.'”
eKathimerini.com
The Irish Sun
