Accidents
Pool accidents are often reported in the European media but there are more incidents which are not reported. The Blue Cap Foundation has made an inventory of accidents caused by suction, hair and limb entrapment on drains in swimming pools. Unfortunately, only severe injuries and fatal accidents are reported in news articles. Should you encounter an unsafe situation or witness an accident, please report this to us. We are coordinating a database of accidents which we will use in our efforts to lobby for a safer swimming pool environment for you and your children. Together with you we can increase the safety of swimming pools in the Netherlands, Europe and eventually the whole world!
This list has been undated on May 17th, 2016.
A list of pool entrapment accidents in German can be found on the website of Parents4safety, visit Parents4safety here or go directly to the German list of pool entrapment accidents here.
For more information about pool entrapment accidents in the United States, you can find the links to the annual reports from the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the United States below.
CPSC, reported circulation/suction entrapments, may 2011.
CPSC, reported circulation/suction entrapments, may 2012.
CPSC, reported circulation/suction entrapments, march 2013.
CPSC, reported circulation/suction entrapments, may 2014.
List of pool entrapment accidents
April 2016 Brazil
A 7-year-old girl was trapped for two minutes submerged in a pool in Águas Claras after her hair got entangled on the grille of the pool’s drain. She was rescued after an uncle cut off her hair with a knife and resuscitated by the uncle and father. Now, after a hospital treatment, the girl is doing well. 22-04-2016
Link to news article.
January 2016 Thailand
A baby’s right leg got sucked into a pipe that was not covered by a protective grille in the hotel swimming pool of the 4-star "Castle Howchow Beach Resort" in Kranuan, Khon Kaen. The only seven-months-old boy was treated in a nearby hospital for his swelling and bruising. 21-01-2016
Link to media.
January 2016 Brazil
The arm of a 4-year-old girl got stuck in a suction pipe of a pool on a property with condominiums in João Pessoa (Paraiba State). According to the firemen, the pipe-end of the drain was not protected by a covering grille. It took the rescue team four hours to free the child. The team carefully broke the pool’s wall 60 cm around the pipe. A tragedy was avoided because the pool was only 30 cm deep. The child was brought to the emergency room, with the pipe still on her arm. 15-01-2016
Link to news article.
January 2016 Indonesia
Sehan and his family arrived at the 9th of January at Waterpark "Citra Land" in Ambon to celebrate the birthday of his youngest brother. When playing in the pool the boy's body was sucked into the open main drain at the bottom of the pool. There was no grille on the main drain. Sehan had no chance and drowned. At the hospital they were unable to resuscitate the boy. The police are investigating the fatal accident. 09-01-2016
Link to video. Link to news article.
January 2016 Peru
The right arm of the 6-year-old Ximena was sucked into a pipe-end of a pool’s wall at "Aqua YM" in Lima, a district of San Borja. While swimming she got trapped in the pipe-end of the suction outlet, which was not covered with a grille. Fortunately, the child was able to keep her head afloat. The parents of the child and a doctor were close by. They tried to calm the child and supported her. After two hours the firefighters were able to free the arm of the child. She was taken to and treated in a nearby hospital. The young Ximena was lucky to only sustain minor injuries. 08-01-2016
Link to news article.
January 2016 Venezuela
Valeria Sandoval died in the water park "Aquaventura" in Maracaibo. The 6-year-old girl was on holiday with her parents in the city and visited the waterpark. At about 12 pm, the child was missing. Desperately they searched the entire water park. Due to the sudden disappearance of their young daughter, an abduction was for the parents more than obvious. But after a 3-hours search the terrible news came in. An employee of the park was surprised that the water from the pool circulated very bad. He found Valeria dead in the drain of the pool. There was no grille covering the drain. The water park was closed immediately after the accident. 06-01-2016
Link to news article.
December 2015 Chile
It was a miracle that Millaray survived an entrapment accident! Eight minutes, the 12-year-old girl was stuck under water after she literally was sucked into the suction pipe of a pool. The accident occurred in the Maipo Iceland Oasis waterpark in Santiago (Chile). The unconscious girl was resuscitated after she was freed by lifeguards. In critical condition she was brought to the hospital Exequiel Gonzalez Cortez. According to her mother her condition is now stable. "What I want is justice, because it can happen again.", the mother said. 25-12-2015
Link to news article 1. Link to news article 2.
November 2015 Spain
The leg of a 10-year-old child was seriously injured in the pool of the sports complex Baixas do Sul in Pontemuíños (Spain). When leaving the pool area, the lower leg of the child got stuck on the concrete staircase. A part of the staircase had to be removed with tools that are normally used to free people from vehicles. After his rescue the child complained of having great pain. The boy was brought in an ambulance to hospital Urxencias the Provincial with bruises and scratches on his leg and was treated there to rule out any fractures or torn ligaments. 29-11-2015
Link to news article.
November 2015 Thailand
A 34-year-old Australian was sucked onto a skimmer in the pool of the Asoke condominiums complex in Bangkok and seriously injured in the back. Maril, his 5-year-old daughter who was bathing with her father in the pool, screamed for help, but no condo employee came to help him. The man was able to free himself from the skimmer with the last reserves of his energy after 20 minutes. On his way to the Bumrungrad Hospital, the man lost his consciousness. On 12-01-2015 the father was able to return home to Australia. The man claims he received an electric shock after getting stuck on the which left a large rectangular-shaped burn on his back. 26-11-2015
Link to news article.
October 2015 Canada
The young girl Mélodie was seriously injured in the hotel "Ambassador" in Quebec City / Canada, after getting sucked with her buttocks on the drain of the filtration system in the hotel’s spa. The father of the 5-year-old tried to free her by trying to pull his daughter of the drain, to no avail. The mother put her hands around the buttocks of the girl and tried to release the suction. She succeeded on freeing her crying child. "When the paramedics arrived and pushed her clothing aside, I could see her guts", the mother said. The condition of girl is stable, but the child was seriously injured and is very ill. Melody's mother Audrey Lapointe said, "The recovery process will take a long time." The parents will appeal against the hotel management. The hotel "Ambassador" is located on the boulevard Sainte-Anne in Quebec City. The local police opened an investigation. 23-10-2015
Link to news article.
September 2015 Colombia
In the paddling pool of the Xilon Hotel in Melgar, Tolima (province in central Colombia), a child was sucked with the foot in a suction pipe. Ricardo Acosta, his wife and young daughter spend the day at the hotel pool. Suddenly, they heard their 6-year-old daughter’s terrible screaming. Her foot was stuck in the pipe. Staff, parents and other bathers rushed to help and were able to free the foot of the child from the pipe. The girl was treated in a hospital for her injuries. Ricardo Acosta started a lawsuit against the hotel management and an employee of the hotel to make sure that such an accident could not occur again. The staff has been negligent and in particular the necessary security checks in all pool areas were not regularly carried out. Ricardo Acosta is aware that the accident could have turned out far worse. 27-09-2015
Link to news article.
September 2015 Russia
Caution! Also in a spring or pond lurks the danger of the silent killer of suction entrapment! On the 20th of September a tragedy occurred in a spring in Volgograd (Krasnooktyabrsky district) when a child drowned after getting trapped. Three men attempted to free the boy from the suction of a pump, their attempts were in vain. Vladimir A. was walking with friends in the park on the road, when they decided to take a swim and play in the spring’s pool. Suddenly the pool filled with water. The two friends of Vladimir immediately jumped out of the pool. The noticed that Vladimir was missing. When they saw the boy trapped under water, they began to call for help. Several adults rushed to the child trying to pull his hands free. But the suction of the pump was too strong. The 12-year-old could only be recovered dead. The Park "70 Years of Victory" in Krasnooktyabrsky was opened only a week. There was no covering grille mounted on the drain. 20-09-2015
Link to news article.
August 2015 Germany
The long hair of a woman gets caught on the grille of sample water pump in the swimming pool. With the help of the lifeguard and at least five bathers the woman was rescued. The accident occurred in the Werratal-Therme in Bad Sooden-Allendorf. 25-08-2015
Link to news article.
August 2015 Spain
Firefighters had to break free the arm of a 3-year-old child that got stuck the pipe of a suction outlet of a swimming pool in Ames-Bertamiráns. Fortunately, the child could keep his head above the water. With minor injuries, the child was taken to a hospital. 18-08-2015
Link to news article.
August 2015 China
An 11-year-old boy drowned in a hotel pool in Hongfeng, Shenzhen. The boy, who was a good swimmer, was sucked with his head on the pipe-end of a drain while diving. His mother and two bystanders were able to free the child after about 5 minutes. But all attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. There was no grille mounted on the drain. The police has started an investigation. 05-08-2015
Link to video article.
August 2015 Spain
Firefighters freed the arm of a 7-year-old boy from the pipe-end of a drain in the private swimming pool "Camí del Raiguer" in the town of Santa Maria in Majorca. For the boy there was no immediate danger of drowning. With minor injuries and a piece of pipe still on his arm, the boy was brought to a hospital for treatment. 08-05-2015
Link to news article.
July 2015 France
The 11-year-old Salim died in a public pool in Dordogne. His leg was sucked in to the pipe-end of suction outlet when he was swimming in the pool. The lifeguard tried to free him, but his attempt was in vain. The suction created by the pump was too strong. After pressing the emergency button, the child was released from the suction outlet. The boy was hospitalized after the accident in Brive (Corrèze), but unfortunately they were not able to resuscitate him there. An investigation was opened by the prosecutor of Perigueux for manslaughter. 30-07-2015
Link to news article.
July 2015 Spain
The hair of a 13-year-old girl was caught on the grille of a suction outlet in the pool of hotel "Las Algas" in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The rescue team was able to resuscitate the girl. In a critical condition, the 13-year-old was brought in the emergency room. The police opened an investigation. According to present knowledge, there was no lifeguard on site. 20-07-2015
Link to news article.
July 2015 Turkey
Sofia El-Khoury Cepeda drowned in a hotel swimming pool. The 10-year-old girl from Colombia drowned in the pool of the Hilton Dalaman Resort in southwestern Turkey. The long hair of the girl got entangled on the grille of a suction outlet when she was diving in the pool. "Sofia was unable to free herself”, the girl's father said in an interview. The hotel chain had received several similar complaints of possible entrapment of swimmers. The pool operators were aware of the risk of hair entrapment, but were negligent in taking steps to remove the risk. 18-07-2015
Link to news article.
July 2015 Spain
The arm of a seven year old boy was sucked into the suction outlet of a pool at the "Balansat-Torremar" holiday appartments in Port de Sant Miquel, Ibiza. The summoned rescuers had to break open the pool’s wall to free the child. Fortunately, the child's was able to keep his head above the water. The boy was treated for minor injuries in a hospital. The resort is very popular holiday destination for Europeans. 17-07-2015
Link to news article.
July 2015 Germany
A 6-year-old girl was rescued shortly before drowning in one of the swimming pools of "Minara" in Bad Durrheim. According to the mother, the hair of the 6-year-old girl got stuck in the grille of a small suction outlet. The girl was able to keep her head afloat. A member of the DLRG (German Life Savings Association) freed the child by cutting the girl's hair in sections with scissors. 09-07-2015
Link to news article.
July 2015 Spain
Girl from Norway died while on vacation in Spain. The swimming pool accident occurred shortly after 14h on 8 July 2015. The 12-year-old girl was found lying face down in the swimming pool of the "Bahía de la Plata" Apartments in Estepona. The hair of girl got entangled on the grille of a suction outlet in the hot tub. The 12-year-old from Bergen died on the 13th of July in the Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen as a result of the injuries she sustained from the entrapment accident. 08-07-2015
Link to news article1. Links to news article 2.
July 2015 Indonesia
Kevin was sucked with his stomach on a suction outlet at the bottom of the pool at the family park "Citra Gran Cibubur" in Bekasi, Indonesia. Approximately 7 minutes the boy was trapped under water. The father and present bathers were able to free the child after the pumps were shut off. Kevin survived. To exclude lung damage, the boy was immediately brought to a nearby hospital. Even hours after the accident, there was still a risk that the boy could die due to respiratory failure. After 3 days, Kevin was able to leave the clinic. The pool was closed. The police started an investigation. 07-07-2015
Link to news article.
July 2015 Russia
A 10-year-old drowned after his leg was sucked into the pipe-end of a suction outlet at the bottom of a hot tub in the pool "Jacuzzi" in Zheleznovodsk. The accident occurred when his mother was in the gym of the sports center. At the time of the accident a lifeguard was present. An employee of the sports center will face criminal charges for causing death by negligence. The pool has been closed. 05-07-2015
Link to news article.
June 2015 France
Giuseppe Centamore from Viterbo, Italy, drowned on June 30, 2015 in a pool at the campsite "Petite Camargue" in Aigues-Mortes. According to the prosecutor, the 16-year-old boy was sucked onto a suction outlet in the pool’s floor. The firefighters were alerted of the accident at 18:30. The rescuers and lifeguards on-site were unable to resuscitate the teenager. He was flown by helicopter to the hospital in Nîmes, but the teenager died during the flight. An investigation was opened by the prosecutor of Nimes. 30-06-2015
Link to news article 1. Link to news article2.
June 2015 Spain
The left hand of a child was sucked into a suction outlet of a pool at the leisure center "Termalia Sport" in Cuenca. The 5-year-old child was able to keep his head afloat. The child escaped the near-accident with minor injuries and got off with a fright. 19-06-2015
Link to news article.
April 2015 Australia
The father of Jamie warns all parents for the risk of entrapment by suction in public swimming pools, after his son was sucked into the suction outlet of the pool’s filtration system at their Milson’s Point apartment block. Jamie, aged 13, sustained horrific bruises to his back, shoulder and upper arm after being trapped in the pool for several minutes. Jamie's father, Andrew, said his son has been traumatized since the accident on anzac day. "If my son's head would have been under water, Jamie would no longer be among us today." Jamie was enjoying the pool with his younger brother Julian, 9, when he was vacuumed into the corner of the pool. He screamed as his mother Joyce and two staff at the block tried to pull his shoulder out of the inlet. The cleaner turned off the main suction pump but they still couldn’t get him out because of the strong vacuum effect. It took about three minutes to release him and he was taken to hospital afterwards to assess the damage. The family has been told there was a similar incident involving a girl in the same pool. There are several warning signs in the pool area including one that warns not to block or cover any part of the filter inlet with “any part of your body or any other object”. Nerves in Jamie’s back were damaged during the incident and he lost some feeling but the family is confident this will return. 30-04-2015
Link to news article.
April 2015 Indonesia
The 12-year-old Maulana Abdul Latif died in West Jakarta after he was sucked onto a drain in the pool of the sports center (GOR) in Grogol Petamburan. Firman Jayadi, a firefighter from the West Jakarta Fire Department said the tragedy occurred when Maulana and his friends were swimming in the pool. "I do not know how, but the boy was suddenly sucked into the pool’s drainage system. We received an emergency call on Monday early in the morning at 2:00. The West Jakarta Fire Department immediately went to the pool to help the boy. The pool water was drained to ease access to the drainage system, but it was much too late at that point. Around 07:30 the boy was excavated but already dead, "Firman said. Maulana’s death allegedly was caused by the negligence of the pool operators from Grogol Sports Center as they failed to cover up the large drainage hole in the swimming pool. They also took hours to finally call authorities to rescue Maulana. Even more outrageously, Maulana could have been saved had an unnamed employee at the sports center rescued him. A witness said that three friends asked an employee for help when the accident occurred. But the employee did not realize the severity of the situation. The employee replied: "Leave him be, he’ll come out on his own”. It remains to be seen if the sports center or the employee will face criminal charges for Maulana’s death. 26-04-2015
Link to news article 1. Links to new article 2.
April 2015 India
Siddharth drowned in the pool of the apartment complex "Poorva Sunshine" in Bangalore , India. The hand of the 11-year-old was sucked into the suction pipe of an outlet. All rescue attempts were unsuccessful. The boy was trapped under water for too long before they could recover him. At the hospital they could only determine that the boy was already dead. The parents of Siddharth lost their only child. 09-04-2015
Link to news article.
April 2015 Spain
A 16-year-old girl from Madrid drowned in the hotel pool the hotel complex "Marina d'Or" in Oropesa del Mar. The arm of the 16-year-old was sucked into the suction outlet while she was diving. The pipe-end with a diameter of 11cm was not covered with a protective grille. The prosecutor and police have started an investigation of the incident. 04-04-2015
Link to news article.
April 2015 China
Wu Jisheng wanted to relax in the whirlpool of the "Four Seasons Hotel" in Macau, China (neighboring island of Hong Kong) with his wife and son. Suddenly the businessman was sucked onto the suction outlet on the bottom of the pool. According to reports about the incident, the suction force of the pump was much higher than allowed. His wife and son tried to save him, but were unable to bring his body back to the surface. Only 20 minutes after the accident, the hotel staff managed to turn off the pump and lift Wu out of the water. Too late for the father who lost his life in front of his family while on vacation. The police in investigating the incident. 04-04-2015
Link to news article.
February 2015 South Africa
South African paramedics and emergency personnel were fighting more than three hours to free a 9-year-old out of his entrapment. The entrapment accident occurred in a swimming pool in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The 9-year-old was sucked with his right arm into the pipe-end of a suction outlet. With a piece of the pipe still on his arm, the boy was brought to a local hospital. According to media reports, his health was critical but stable. 20-02-2015
Link to news article.
February 2015 Brazil
The hair of an 8-year-old girl got stuck in the drain of a private pool in the Brazilian city of Santa Maria (Rio Grande do Sul). The grandparents noticed that their granddaughter Ana Cristina did not come back to the surface again. They rushed to her and cut her hair with scissors, then they lifted her lifeless body out of the water and immediately started to resuscitate her. The girl was brought to the ICU in the Charity Hospital. The doctors that treated her told the media that she is now in a stable condition and the chance of a complete recovery is very likely. Ana Christina thanked her rescuers with a drawing. 09-02-2015
Link to news article 1. Link to news article 2.
February 2015 Thailand
A 6-years-old boy got stuck while swimming in a public pool in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. Approximately 30 to 40 children were playing in the horror pool at the time of the accident. The father of 6-year-old stayed on the edge of the pool and noticed that his son was submerged for far too long in the only 60 cm deep pool. The father and a teacher of the boy jumped into the water and saw that the boy was stuck with his right arm in a pipe of the suction outlet in the bottom of the pool. With all their strength they tried to free the boy from his life-threatening entrapment, but their efforts were in vain. They immediately started to drain water from the pool and tried to give the kiss of life to supply the unconscious boy with air, after that they used an oxygen device. I took them 2 hours to break down the pool with a hammer drill and free the boy from his entrapment. He was brought to a nearby hospital. It is unclear whether the boy has survived the accident. Supposedly the staff forgot to reattach the grill in front of the suction outlet. The police have started an investigation. 08-02-2015
Link to news article.
February 2015 Poland
A 9-year-old girl was sucked with her back onto the grille of a suction outlet in the swimming pool "Oceanik" in Tuszyn , Poland. The suction was so strong that the lifeguards had to switch off the pump before they could free the girl from the outlet. The girl has a large hematoma on her back as a result of the high suction forces. She also needed psychological support after the traumatizing accident. 04-02-2015
Link to news article.
December 2014 Colombia
A 3-year-old girl got stuck with both her feet in the pipe of a suction outlet with a diameter of about 25 cm in a pool in Southern Cali, Colombia. After a two-hour drama the summoned firefighters were able to free the girl by gently breaking the pool around the pipe with hammers. The successful rescue operation was rewarded with an applause by all the bathers. The little girl was brought to a hospital for the injuries on her legs. 02-12-2014
Link to news article.
November 2014 Thailand
The right hand of a little girl got stuck in the suction pipe of a wading pool in Thailand. After two hours the rescuers were able to free the child. With a piece of pipe in her hand, the little girl was sent to a nearby hospital. There the hand was gently removed from the plastic pipe and here swollen hand was treated. The accident occurred because there was no protective grille placed in front of the suction pipe. 17-11-2014
Link to news article.
September 2014 USA
A 76-year-old man was sucked with his leg into an uncovered "hole" in a Mikva (plunge bath) in Manhattan. The man was rescued by the fire department and brought to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for a supposed broken leg. 02-09-2014
Link to new article.
August 2014 Italy
Life-threatening! That is what the parents of an 11-year-old wrote on the review portal HolidayCheck. The family from Germany spent their summer in the beautiful scenery of Italy when staying at the Aparthotel "Village Green Resort" in Ligano. Their son was sucked onto a suction outlet of the hotel's swimming pool, which seriously injured his back and buttocks. The family booked their trip to Italy through the tour operator TUI. 27-08-2014
Link to news article.
August 2014 Thailand
The hand of a 3-year-old girl from Russia was stuck in a drainage pipe of a shallow children's pool in Pattaya. The girl was brought to a clinic in Pattaya after her hand was freed from the pipe. There was no protective grille placed in front of the drainage pipe. 12-08-2014
Link to news article.
August 2014 Turkey
A bathing accident occurred in the popular resort Mersin in the park "Büyükşehir Belediyesi Kongre Ve Sergi Sarayı". A little boy was sucked with his right leg into the drain at the bottom of the pool. The summoned rescuers held the boy's head above the water and freed the boy from his entrapment. The boy was brought to a hospital for medical treatment. 11-08-2014
Link to news article.
August 2014 Spain
The parents of an 8-year-old boy, lost their only son in World Children Park in Lara. The boy was sucked with his feet into the pipe of a submerged drain while swimming and drowned. There was no protective grille installed in front of the drainage pipe. For a long time, the boy was looking forward to this trip with his teachers and schoolmates. But the trip ended in tragedy as a result of the negligence by the pool’s operators. 09-08-2014
Link to news article.
August 2014 Italy
The hair of an 11-year-old girl from Pordenone got entangled on a suction nozzle of a private hot tub. The child was brought for observation to an emergency room. The girl was lucky that she did not sustain life-threatening injuries. 07-08-2014
Link to news article.
August 2014 Venezuela
A boy († 8) from La Trinidad Yaracuy / Venezuel drowned on August 2014 in a pool of an amusement park in Barquisimeto. Several men tried to free the child from the suction of the pump, their effort was in vain. Only after about 15 minutes after the pumps had been turned off, the child was taken out of the water. CPR attempts failed . On August 27, the boy would have been 9 years.
Link to news article.
July 2014 China
Tain Tseng played in a swimming pool at the water park Qinlong of the Hot Spring Hotel in Xi'an, China. The twelve-year-old wanted to enjoy it on his last day, but it came to a tragic end. His father Kung, 43, said: "Suddenly I noticed that he was no longer there and I thought immediately the worst case. Immediately I alarmed employees of the water park , because I thought my son was sucked in a drainage intake. When the employees of the the pool were looking for the child, they found the boy in a suction tube with a diameter of 33 cm. The tube was missing a covering grille.
Link to news article.
July 2014 Spain
Nearly two hours a three-year-old boy had to suffer fear and pain until he could be released from the grille in the paddling pool of the city pool of Milladoiro Ames in Spain. The accident happened on July 21 2014. The little boy was playing with his brother in the pool when suddenly his left hand was pulled into the unprotected drain which only was 1ft deep. The little boy got sucked in and began to cry. His mother and an employee rushed straight to the boy and tried to calm him. They supported his head, because the water came to his chin. An electrician tried using a screwdriver to remove the grid, without success. A mason from an adjacent construction place came with a drill and drilled the exhaust grille loose. After his liberation the boy was hospitalized with symptoms of hypothermia and a swollen hand.
June 2014 Alanya / Turkey
The 6-year-old Dmitry Samoilenko from Russia lost his life in a 5-star hotel complex in Konakli, Alanya. The swimming accident happened on 29.06.2014 at lunchtime in a pool at the end of a water slide. According to several reports on the internet, the boy flipped over his head from the waterslide. Immediately an employee got the children out of the water. The child was hospitalized in Antalya.
Link to news article.
May 2014 Netherlands
Azra from Netherlands narrowly escaped drowning after her long hair got entangled to the movable floor of the pool in Wyck Lime in Hoogezand. At the time of the accident an employee set the floor of the pool in motion with the swimmers still in the pool. Just in time the nine-year-old girl succeeded to pull her hair free and only wounded her head and face.
Link to news article.
April 2014 Spain
The hand of a three year old child was sucked in a grille from a hotel pool in Adeje, Tenerife . Only after a fireman had drilled a piece of the pool’s wall, they could liberate the child and brought her with a piece of the grille still on her arm to the hospital. They carefully removed the grille for her arm and treated the injury.
Link to news article.
March 2014 USA
The 12-year-old Brittany Manley narrowly escaped drowning. The girl from Newton / Kansas was on March 12, 2014 in the hotel whirlpool at the Best Western Red Coach Inn in Newton. Her hair got entrapped in the drain of the whirlpool. After the girl was rescued, she was taken to the hospital for examination. Immediately after the accident the whirlpool was closed.
Link to news article.
March 2014 Trenggalek / Indonesia
Adrian Permadi lost his life on March 2 in a only 70 cm deep pool at the water park in Trenggalek Terri. The 11 year old Adrian with was sucked with his hand in an unprotected drain with a diameter of about 16 cm. With all his strength Adrian’s friend tried to pull him off, in vain. At the hospital they could not do anything for the child.
Link to news article.
2014 Brasil
A girl (10 years) gets her hair entrapped in a swimming pool. The mother of the victim saw her daughter dive into the pool. When her daughter did not come to the surface, she was frightened and alarmed other swimmers. They managed to free her by cutting her hair loose from the drain grate at the bottom of the pool. A friend of the family immediately applied first aid to the girl. He resuscitated the girl until the ambulance arrived and she was taken to the hospital. She survived the accident.
Link to news article.
2014 Brasil
A little girl in a hotel swimming pool was sucked with her arm into the inlet of a drain. Five people have been trying to free the arm of the girl from the suction pipe. In their desperation they tried to free the arm with cleanser, the girl was hospitalised in a local hospital with severe injuries.
Link to news article.
2014 Brasil
The 43-year-old Josiah Andrade Saraiva broke his right leg after he was sucked into an unprotected suction opening of a hotel swimming pool. The pool’s water was up to his shoulders, allowing him to keep his head above the water and his respiration was not in danger. The rescue operation lasted about 30 minutes. Eight days earlier the 7 year old Kaua lost his life at the same hotel, after his arm was sucked into the drain. (see post below)
2014 Brasil
A girl (11 years) drowned in a pool after her hair got trapped on the grille of the drainage intake. The girl was rescued from the swimming pool, but she died 19 hours later in the hospital.
Link to news article.
2014 Brasil
A girl (9 years) was at a holiday resort when her belly got sucked onto the drain of the swimming pool. She could keep her head above water and cried for help. In vain the parents tried to free their daughter. After half an hour a plumber was able to free her from the life-threatening situation. The girl was taken to a hospital with severe injuries.
Link to news article.
2014 Brasil
A girl (7 years) got her hair entangled in a grille of a drain in the pool at a water park. She had to be resuscitated from heart failure on the way to the hospital. In ICU she died from her injuries.
Link to news article.
2014 Brasil
In a holiday-resort the seven year old Kaua is sucked with his arm into a drainage intake. Before the accident took place, an observant tourist already reported that the drain was unsafe at the reception of the hotel. However, the staff did not take any safety measures. The boy died the next morning in the hospital after multiple organs failed.
Link to news article.
2013 Spain
A girl (3) was sucked with her hand into a drainage intake of a swimming pool and sustained severe injuries.
Link to news article.
2013 Brasil
A boy (6) died in a pool for children. His body was found in a suction pipe of the children’s pool four days after the accident occured. The water park was closed by order of the court after many flaws were found in the park.
Link to news article./ Link to 2nd article.
2013 Mexico
A 3-year-old girl died after her body was sucked on an unprotected suction opening of a hotel swimming pool.
2013 Saint Blaise
A Dutch girl (15) got trapped under water when her hair got entangled at a depth of 1 meter in the whirlpool of a swimming pool.
2013 Germany
A boy (13) got injured after his back was sucked onto a suction opening in the pool’s wall at a depth of 1.50 meters.
2013 Germany
An 8-year old boy from Durlach was sucked into a suction pipe. The parents had reported the boy as missing and the police initially thought the boy was kidnapped. Only after the pool was emptied the badly wounded body was found in the suction pipe.
2013 Germany
A 7-year-old girl in the city of Calw got trapped by suction in the swimming pool and drowned.
2013 Croatia
At the camping a German boy (3 years) was sucked into a drain with his arm. The fire brigade had to break off the concrete wall of the pool to rescue the boy, which held on minor injuries to the incident.
Link to news article.
2013 Croatia
An Argentine girl (18) got trapped with her hair in the suction opening of a outdoor swimming pool at a hotel at the beach"Neptun". A hotel employee and a tourist managed to free the unconscious girl by cutting her hair free and applied CPR. The girl was taken by helicopter to the University Hospital of Split. At the intensive care her health improved after two days.
Link to news article.
2013 United States of America
An American boy (5 years) was sucked on a the grille of a private swimming pool. He survives.
Link to news article.
2013 France
In an aqua park in the region of St. Tropez a 3 year old boy drowned in a swimming pool. Due to the high suction forces and the missing grille the boy was sucked into the drain.
2012 France
A French girl (11 years) drowned in pool on August 10, 2012. She got trapped by suction.
Link to news article.
2011 The Netherlands
In a whirlpool a girl got trapped when her hair got sucked into a drain. She is rescued by pulling off locks of hair with parts of her scalp (head skin).
2011 Bulgaria
A German girl (13) drowned due to suction entrapment.
Link to news article.
2011 Curacao
A Dutch girl (7) sustained disembowlment as het intestines were sucked out of her body through the grille of an intake at the bottom of a whirlpool. She survives.
Link to news article.
2011 Fuerteventura
A German boy (8) drowns because he got sucked onto a grille of a drain.
Link to news article.
2011 Spain
A swimming pool accident, no further details known.
2011 Tunisia
Belgian boy (11) drowned when his arm got trapped by suction. He wanted to retrieve his diving goggles from the bottom when his arm got sucked in to the drain.
Link to news article.
2011 Turkey
A Swiss girl (11) drowned in an aqua park due to the suction of a drainage intake.
Link to news article.
2010 Turkey
Toddler drowned in a swimming pool.
2009 Belgium
A girl (11) got trapped with her hair at a drainage intake.
Link to news article.
2009 Bulgaria
A Bulgarian girl (13) drowns in a swimming pool of a hotel
2009 Belgium
A man is trapped by the suction of a drainage intake in a swimming pool for several minutes.
2009 United Kingdom
A girl (7) is sucked onto the grille with her hair. She is rescued after pulling out several locks of hair.
Link to news article.
2009 Thailand
A British boy (14) died after he got trapped by suction. He was looking for his diving goggles.
2008 The Netherlands
A girl was trapped by suction on a grille in the wall of a pool.
2008 United States of America
Since 2008, at least 147 incidents involving suction and hair entrapments have led to 36 deaths.
2008 Tunisia
A 14 year old girl from France is sucked with her leg into an opening and drowns.
Link to news article.
2008 Turkey
A toddler (4) got trapped by suction in a wading pool.
2007 United Kingdom
Part of intestinal canal are sucked out from the body after sitting on the grille of a suction opening of a swimming pool.
2007 Gran Canaria
In the swimming pool of a hotel an American boy (17) died due to entrapment by suction.
Link to news article.
2006 Turkey
A boy (8 years) from Germany got trapped by suction with his leg and drowns.
Link to news article.
2005 The Netherlands
A girl is sucked into a drain with her leg.
2005 Germany
Four German children survive accidents at the grilles of drainage intakes after being trapped by suction.
Link to news article.
2004 Belgium
A boy (9) got his hand sucked into a cleaning intake. The pool staff forgot to turn off the pump and to put a cap on the intake.
2003 The Netherlands
Babyarm in stuck in the pipe of the pool’s cleaning intake.
2001 Greece
Boy from France (7) drowns in paddling pool of a hotel
2001 Greece
A German boy (11) is sucked with his arm onto a grille of a suction opening and drowns.
2000 The Netherlands
Boy (12) was sucked onto the grille of a suction opening and drowns.
1995 The Netherlands
A girl (13) got stuck with het hair on a grille. She is rescued and survives.
1985 The Netherlands
Two boys are sucked simultaniously on the grilles of two drainage intakes and drown.
