DEVASTATED
Mum’s anguish as she sees husband and two children drown in pool
A BRITISH dad and two of his children died in a swimming pool on the Costa del Sol as the distraught mum looked on.
It is thought the 52-year-old and his son, 16, got into difficulty when they jumped in to save his daughter, nine.
Tourist Josias Fletchman told of the desperate bid to revive the victims.
He said: “The mum was praying for them to come back to life.”
A HOLIDAYMAKER has told how he desperately fought to save a British dad who died with his two children at a resort on the Costa del Sol.
Josias Fletchman performed CPR on the 52-year-old after he and his son, 16, and daughter, nine, got into difficulties in a swimming pool.
The victim’s wife stood by and prayed as Josias tried in vain to bring him round.
It is believed the dad and his son had jumped into the pool to try to save his daughter who was in trouble. All three were found unresponsive.
Dad-of-three Josias, 35, from Manchester, said: “The mum was praying for them to come back to life.
“She was calm. She was touching their bodies. She continued praying even after the ambulance people arrived and had stopped trying to revive them.
“She exercised her faith to the limit. I was performing CPR on her husband but I’m a believer and I prayed as well.”
Divers are said to have inspected the resort’s pool, including the swimming pool pump and drainage system, following the Christmas Eve deaths. But
“no concerns” were said to have been found. Signs warn no lifeguard is on duty at the pool. Tourist Eni Raja told how she saw the aftermath of the tragedy at Club La Costa World, near Fuengirola.
The 22-year-old Norwegian, who now lives in Birmingham, said: “I saw the bodies with the three white blankets over them. The mum was crying. I can’t get the image out of my mind. “I thought at first it might have been a stabbing.” Officials said the pool was closed as a “precaution” but there was no police tape around it yesterday.
And Eni claimed: “No one’s told us not to swim in it.” Another tourist added: “We still can’t get any information out of anyone here. We want to know whether it’s safe to use the pools.
“But it’s Christmas Day and no one’s around to speak to us.”
The victims were believed to be from London, although the son was said to be a US passport holder. They had checked in for a Christmas break on December 21 and were due to stay until Saturday.
Counsellors are now spending time with the mum and her other child, thought to be a teenage daughter.
Relatives are on their way to Spain to be with them. Police insisted yesterday they were keeping an open mind over the tragedy. Costa Club World spokesman Juan Jose Millan said: “This has been a terrible occurrence and staff and guests are receiving psychological support along with the family.
“There’s never been a problem with the pool and we receive hundreds of guests every week. The truth is that we don’t know what could have happened.”
The resort added: “All at Club La Costa World resort are devastated by this tragedy. 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.
“The management are assisting the authorities fully with their investigation into the deaths.”
She was calm. Touching their bodies. I was performing CPR on him and I prayed as well
JOSIAS FLETCHMAN BRIT WHO TRIED TO SAVE DAD