British girl, six, drowning in Tenerife pool 'after lifeguard clocked off'

17 May 2024 , 11:46

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A six-year-old British girl was saved after she was left drowning at a hotel pool in Tenerife (Image: Getty Images)

A six-year-old British girl was saved after she was left drowning at a hotel pool in Tenerife with a lifeguard having clocked off, according to reports.

Local police have launched an investigation into the incident at the Granada Park Aparthotel pool in Los Cristianos, on the southwest coast of Tenerife, at around 6.50pm on May 9. Rescuers reportedly performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the girl as soon as she was pulled from the water. Two local police motorcyclists and another two patrol cars, who were nearby, were the first to arrive at the scene of the incident.

It is understood that Spanish police are trying to understand the exact whereabouts of the parents of the child at the time and also the lifeguard at the pool belonging to the Granada Park Aparthotel. It is claimed that the lifeguard left at 6pm and youngster was found in the water around 6.50pm.

The girl was reportedly conscious and very scared when the emergency services arrived at the scene. The police arrived with paramedics shortly afterwards and the girl was taken to a medical centre.

She was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia, which is caused by someone inhaling liquid into their respiratory tract of lungs, according to Canarian Weekly. Medical staff were able to stabilise her conditions and she has now been transferred to a children's emergency department at Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital.

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It comes as there has been a spike in British and other tourists going to the Canary Islands this year. In recent months, tensions have been rising with graffiti telling tourists to 'go home'. In April, around 50,000 angry residents took to the streets as part of mass protests across Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, with slogans including 'The Canary Islands have a limit'.

Clips of thousands of protestors chanting "si vivimos del turismo por qué no somos ricos?” ("If we are living from tourism then why are we not rich?") were also shared on social media. Meanwhile the island's deputy mayor Carlos Tarife has begged Brits to go elsewhere for inclusive holidays, urging them to look at other destinations such as the Dominican Republic instead if they want a holiday where they stay in their hotels.

Tim Hanlon