FOR one family, a holiday turned out be a disaster which saw two children die in just a matter of minutes.
London Marie, 11, and her brother Wadale, 14, were playing in their hotel pool before their mum found them at the "bottom" of it.
Brittney McWhite had left her children to splash about in the pool unattended while she sorted out food for a BBQ.
"They weren't in there for more than like three, four minutes," the grieving mum told FOX 29 Philadelphia.
"They called their names and when they jumped in, they were at the bottom of the pool."
Are there illegal baby names? Surprising monikers that are BANNED in other countries, from Sarah to Thomas
The family was on holiday in New Jersey, US, when the kids decided to play a game of Marco Polo in the pool - a version of 'it' or tag.
This involved holding their breath underwater, their parent said.
WARNING TO OTHER PARENTS
Brittney, who has four other children, said London Marie and Wadale could swim, which was why she left them alone for a short spell.
Although they were quickly pulled out from the bottom of the pool, they had already drowned.
As summer begins, the mum issued a warning to fellow parents who may take their kids to a pool.
She said that drownings like these could happen after being in the water for just "a minute."
"Always have a set of eyes," she added.
"Prevent your kids from playing games and make sure the pool is safe.
"If it doesn't look right, don't do it because once you lose your child, it is hard."
Marco Polo involves one person closing their eyes and counting to 10. They are 'it'.
I'm scared I've ruined my daughter's life because of her name
They then shout 'Marco' and the others in the water shout 'Polo' repeatedly, and they have to blindly catch them.
Whoever is caught is then 'it' and trades places with the original person.
'JUST DEVASTATING'
For a week, the children were placed on life support machines to keep them alive.
But by Sunday, it became clear to Brittney and the kids' father that nothing was going to change.
"Keeping my child hooked onto a machine for the rest of their life is not ideally what any parent should want for their children, so today I and dad decided to end life support," Brittney said.
She added that London Marie and Wadale were total opposites who couldn't live without one another.
"I know they're at peace, it's just very devastating," Brittney said. "Not to lose one child but two.
"I think that's more challenging because you can't stomach that, but you have to keep going."
