Drowned boy was learning deep-water swimming

Sohaila Ahmed, Staff Reporter

Dev, an 11-year-old Asian boy, died from drowning in a swimming pool of a residential tower in Al Nahda Area in Sharjah on Sunday. The boy was taking swimming lessons in the same tower in which he lived with his family.

“My boy went with his private swimming coach to take deep-water swimming lessons in the residential building.

“There were five to six boys in the swimming pool.

“Around evening time, my wife received a call about the tragic incident, leaving us shocked and confused.

“We were informed the swimming coach rushed to save Dev along with another parent but failed to apply the necessary life-saving techniques.He immediately called the national ambulance to come to rescue.

“The boy was transferred to the emergency section of Al Qasimi Hospital, where he died as a result of swallowing a large quantity of water,” the boy’s father said.

He added that his boy was a good swimmer but wanted to learn deep-water swimming and went for his daily half-an-hour classes. The day of the incident, Dev completed his first lap of swimming, only to suddenly collapse during the second one. He did not have any medical history of any kind.

“The final medical report has not been issued yet but I learnt from the hospital that it would be today.

“The report will enable me to know how my boy drowned in the presence of a swimming coach and who was behind it, particularly as there are no surveillance cameras around as the pool is also used by female swimmers during separate hours,” the father said.

Meanwhile, the emergency section at Al Qasimi Hospital said the national ambulance arrived at the hospital but the boy died before reaching the section.

The hospital management had to report the incident to the police. Sharjah Police are currently investigating the drowning incident.