Pastor and his two children who drowned in pool could not swim
A BRITISH evangelical pastor and his two children have been named as the victims of the pool tragedy in the Costa del Sol, as their family revealed they could not swim.
Gabriel Diya, 52, along with his son Praise-emmanuel, 16, are thought to have died as they tried to rescue his daughter Comfort, nine, from a resort pool on Christmas Eve.
The horrifying scenes were witnessed by the children’s mother, Olubunmi, 49, and sibling Favour, 14, who had been in the water with her sister moments earlier.
The surviving family are believed to have told Spanish police that their relatives did not know how to swim, except for Comfort, who had “some idea”.
Mr Diya was a respected pastor who led Open Heavens London, an evangelical place of worship in Erith, southeast London, which claims to part of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, founded in Nigeria.
A witness described how Mr Diya’s wife stayed calm and prayed while CPR was performed on her husband and children.
It is believed the children attended school in London, but Praise-emmanuel travelled on a US passport as the family visited the Club La Costa World resort near Fuengirola.
Spanish police have since allowed the swimming pool to reopen, despite fears that the pump system may have trapped the three victims in the water.
It was initially speculated that a suction problem may have turned the pool into a death trap that first snared Comfort, then her brother and father as they tried to save her.
A member of staff who dived into the pool to try to save the family similarly encountered “difficulties” escaping the water, a report by Diario Sur, a local newspaper, said.
But the resort said in a statement: “The Guardia Civil have carried out a full investigation and gave formal permission to reopen the pool as they found no concerns relating to the pool or procedures in place, which leaves us to believe this was a tragic accident which has left everyone surrounding the incident in shock.”
In a later statement, released yesterday afternoon, the resort said it would continue to “cooperate fully with the authorities”, adding: “Naturally, we will continue to offer every assistance and comply fully and transparently with any requests made by them.” A neighbour of the Diya family said she was “really devastated”.
Speaking outside her home in Charlton, Lara Akins, 59, said: “I still can’t comprehend it, it’s still shocking.”
She described the family, who she said had lived in the area for about 10 years, as “very religious, very friendly, very humble”. She added: “They are so nice, that is why everybody is shocked.”
Ms Akins said she was still looking after Christmas presents dropped off by friends while the family were away.
A post-mortem investigation found no signs that the victims were intoxicated or had suffered any external injuries beforehand, instead concluding the cause of death was drowning.
The only surviving sibling on the trip had been with her younger sister in the pool just moments before, but showed no symptoms to suggest that pool chemicals had harmed her. Police said they were continuing to keep an open mind on the circumstances, stating “all options” were on the table.
A police source said: “Investigators have been told the three relatives didn’t know how to swim or didn’t swim very well. That information is coming from the older sister.
“Although there has been speculation about the pool pump system, investigators have found no evidence pointing to any anomalies like increased suction pressure.
“The information… from the family goes a long way to explaining this mystery, because if you’ve got three people in a pool who can’t swim or can’t swim very well, it’s very easy to imagine a situation in which one pulls the other down and they all drown.”
Relatives have flown out from the UK to be by the side of the widowed mother and her surviving daughter.