British girl, 5, dies day after being pulled from Canary Islands pool

A five-year-old British girl pulled unconscious from a swimming pool in a tourist complex in Morro Jable, in Fuerteventura, has died. The little girl was admitted to the Maternal and Child University Hospital of Las Palmas of Gran Canaria on Thursday.

This was the fourth drowning death in the Canary Islands so far this year and, at the very least, the highest figure in the last 10 years. The little girl died due to the serious neurological consequences caused by drowning in the pool of the complex where she was on holiday.

Health workers at the hospital in the capital of Gran Canaria tried to revive her without success.

The girl became irreversibly brain dead, as reported this Friday by the association Canarias 1,500 kilometres de Costa, a platform that is dedicated to the prevention of this type of tragedy in the islands.

The heartbreaking accident occurred on Thursday morning, when the girl was with her family in a complex in the municipality of Pájara.

The little girl was pulled from the water with symptoms of drowning and cardiorespiratory arrest after being resuscitated by the pool lifeguard. Once stabilised, she was transferred by medical ambulance to the General Hospital of Fuerteventura, although due to her serious condition, she was evacuated by helicopter to Gran Canaria.

This is the fourth death of a minor by drowning in the Canary Islands so far this year. This is a record number at least during the last decade. The association Canarias 1,500 kilometres of Coast, which has been counting accidents of this type in the islands for ten years, had never recorded such a large figure. Hence, they ask for extreme caution, given that there is still almost half a year ahead.

The most notorious case occurred in April in the pools of Lago Taurito, in the south of Gran Canaria. On that occasion, a two-year-old girl drowned in the water park while spending the day there with her family, residents of the island. The little girl went into cardiorespiratory arrest despite the attempts of the health workers who rushed to the tourist complex.

With the British girl who died in Fuerteventura this Friday, there are 17 minors drowned in swimming pools in Spain as a whole this year. Out of a total of 23, 73.9% of the victims died in swimming pools. The Canary Islands' 1,500 kilometres of coastline stresses that they are real "death traps".

In a statement on Facebook, the campaign group said: "The five-year-old girl who suffered a critical drowning episode in the pool of a hotel in Morro Jable (Pájara, Fuerteventura) died today. Due to the severe neurological consequences, she entered the so-called "brain death" stage.

"The little girl was spending her vacation on the island of Fuerteventura with her family, originally from England. It was around 1.30am when the unconscious girl was pulled from the pool. Lifeguards performed CPR. The medical personnel from a SUC ambulance then continued providing care."

"Due to the seriousness of the case, she was urgently evacuated by medical helicopter to the Materno Infantil University Hospital.

Despite the efforts of the medical team, the little girl was unable to overcome the dramatic event that took her life.

"A terrible and difficult episode, once again. Due to the seriousness of the case, she was urgently evacuated by medical helicopter to the Materno Infantil University Hospital."

"Despite the efforts of the medical team, the little girl was unable to overcome the dramatic event that took her life."

"This drowning incident, with a minor as the sad protagonist, is once again terrible and difficult.

"We at @canarias1500kmdecosta would like to express our condolences and solidarity to her family. Please take care of and supervise your children in the water."

The Canary 112 emergency service reported immediately after the accident: "A child aged five recovered from cardiac arrest and was transferred in serious condition by medical helicopter from the SUC to the University Hospital of the Canary Islands.