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Strange Deaths

Very strange that no one was able to get them out of the pool as soon s they went in.

Did no one see them enter?
 
I saw a headline somewhere saying that the pump was being investigated. Maybe she got sucked in? Whatever happened, it is really horrible. :-(
 
Usually the water is taken from the top surface (via the overflow at the side sO it will carry debris from the surface to the filter) and then returns the water to the pool via the bottom. Hence there should be no suction. However, I have seen one situation where the pump was running backwards and was indeed pulling in from the bottom of the pool.
 
I found the story. It mentions a couple of incidents where that happened.


https://news.sky.com/story/costa-de...em-after-father-and-two-children-die-11894962

"Detectives have taken away the pump system, looking at motors to see if it was an electrical or mechanical failure, but at the moment there is no information on what could have caused this tragedy," he said.
Holiday operator CLC World Resorts and Hotels said management were assisting authorities "fully" with an investigation into the deaths.
Club La Costa World is near the town of Fuengirola, around 20 miles south of Malaga.
The holiday operator's statement said: "Management at Club La Costa World resort would like to offer its heartfelt condolences to the family affected by the loss of three family members on 24 December 2019.
"The Guardia Civil have carried out a full investigation which found no concerns relating to the pool in question or procedures in place, which leaves us to believe this was a tragic accident which has left everyone surrounding the incident in shock.
 
From what I've read, nobody saw what happened so the story about the girl getting into difficulties and the others trying to save her is speculation.
 
Wounder if they are thinking they were electrocuted.
That sounds possible though still unlikely. A lightning strike perhaps? Though you'd think there's be reports of thunder in the area if that were suspected
 
Update ... According to this more recent BBC item:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50912652

... the pool has been reopened with the approval of authorities after checking the state of the pool (presumably including its equipment).

This article mentions screaming having been heard prior to hotel staff pulling the 3 victims from the water and attempting CPR. Prior news items mentioned the 3 were found floating (and already unresponsive).

I'm still waiting to see / hear any particulars on what was known to have happened. The few on-scene witness comments I've seen don't offer any clues to what occurred before the unresponsive victims were pulled from the pool.
 
Here's an update with more facts and an apparent explanation ... According to testimony from a family member none of the 3 victims knew how to swim.
Reports: UK family drowned in Spain didn’t know how to swim

Spanish news reports said Thursday that a member of the British family whose father and two children died in a swimming pool on Christmas Eve has told police that none of the three knew how to swim.

Spanish private news agency Europa Press and other media outlets said the family member testified before Civil Guard police.

No one was immediately available at the Civil Guard to comment on the report.

Earlier, Civil Guard union spokesman officer Paco González said autopsy results show the three members died by drowning. Investigators were now trying to determine why they drowned, he said.

Leading Spanish newspaper El País said the autopsy results also showed none of the three had bruises or suffered intoxication. ...

Europa Press said the girl got into difficulty first. Her brother and father then jumped into the pool and tried to save her but all three drowned.

González said the pool was around 2 meters (6.5 feet) deep in some parts. ...

González said police inspected the pool and found no irregularities.

“(Police officers) did not find any anomaly that could indicate a swirl or a suctioning current,” he said.

Media reports said police initially suspected a problem in the pool’s suction system.

González said police found the girl’s swimming cap in a grate of the suction system. He said the water in the pool was very cold and this may have been a factor in the drownings. ...
FULL STORY: https://apnews.com/55845f7dd3004f2e09b8722338d6ec39
 
Why on Earth did they all get in the pool at all if they didn't know how to swim?
Tragic and baffling.
 
Cannot understand why, if you can't swim, that you'd even go near a pool. Possibly the girl fell in and the others panicked and jumped in to get her. Unfortunately one person drowning will pull the other down. During swim lessons, we were taught to find a towel or something the person could grab and to keep your distance for that reason.
 
Why on Earth did they all get in the pool at all if they didn't know how to swim?
...

According to the sketchy reports I've seen the little girl became distressed, and the man and boy attempted to help her.

Some accounts specifically allege the man and boy entered the water to aid the girl (implying she was the only one originally in the water).

My first guess is that the girl was allowed to enter the water (e.g., holding onto the pool's side), she slipped farther "out" into trouble, and the other two panicked and jumped in without trying a more reasonable approach to aiding the girl.
 
Does anyone know for sure if the girl got into difficulties first and the others died trying to rescue her?

If not, it's equally plausible to speculate that the father or teenage boy fell in or whatever and dragged the others down when they went to help.
 
Does anyone know for sure if the girl got into difficulties first and the others died trying to rescue her? ...

Multiple of the early news stories claimed this was the sequence of events alleged by (supposed) witnesses. However, I still haven't seen any account that gives specifics supporting this claim.
 
Wonder how deep it was, surprising how many drown when all they had to do was stand up.
when I was at school we were taken swimming once a week don't suppose they do that now,
what a shame when things like this happen when all they are doing is having a holiday.
 
More details on the victims:
News report

Seems they were a deeply religious family of Nigerian origin. But I wouldn't read anything into that, it does sound like a freak accident, nothing more. The detail about the little girl's hat is so sad.
 
The (newly-widowed) wife and mother is refuting a daughter's claim that the 3 victims didn't know how to swim.

A mother whose husband and two children drowned in a resort swimming pool on the Costa del Sol on Christmas Eve has insisted all three knew how to swim.

Olubunmi Diya said "something was wrong with the pool" and the group were "dragged" in and unable to get out.

But hotel operator Club La Costa World said the pool was "working normally".

Earlier, Spanish media reported another of Mrs Diya's daughters told police the three who drowned could not swim - but Mrs Diya has refuted that.

SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50929536
 
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It annoys me intensely when it's reported that some company is" cooperating fully with the authorities " after some incident of this nature. Standard bollocks speak in the UK as well. As if they had any choice not to cooperate. If they don't they're attempting a coverup. Old Man rant over.....
 
More details on the victims:
News report

Seems they were a deeply religious family of Nigerian origin. But I wouldn't read anything into that, it does sound like a freak accident, nothing more. The detail about the little girl's hat is so sad.

If the girls hat was in the pump then the circulation was in reverse.
 
I have seen this 'reverse pool pump' problem for myself.
Some years back when on holiday I Greece I noticed that the surface of the apartment pool was very dirty. Lots of leaves etc floating about on the surface, but not drifting towards the edges. Also there was no 'turbulence' on the surface that used to occur above the water inlet on the bottom of the pool. I mentioned it to the owners (I had been there a few times before) and they checked the pump. It was running backwards. Due to an incorrectly connected three phase wiring.

So if anyone was to get their foot across the 'outlet' grill at the bottom then it could be very hard to free it.
 
Would not be surprised if the pumps could be reversed to back flush the system
 
If the girls hat was in the pump then the circulation was in reverse.

Not necessarily, if the swimming cap wasn't fully buoyant.

The cap was found on the drain, not inside the pump or piping.

The only news account I saw that described the bodies' discovery claimed they were floating. If the little girl (or any of them) had become stuck on the drain they would have remained there, all other things being the same.
 
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