11-year-old girl dies after getting her hair stuck in pool drain

The girl was admitted in a critical and unstable condition to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Gaslini Pediatric Hospital, in Genoa, where she was taken by helicopter due to the severity of her injuries.

According to the Italian press, Alice lived in Milan and spent holidays with her family at the resort. The accident occurred in the hotel's children's pool and, despite the water being shallow, the girl's hair got caught in the suction drain, keeping her submerged. Some people tried to rescue her, but they were unable to free her hair in time.

Alice received first aid at the scene. Emergency teams performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation before taking her to the hospital, where she died just over a day later.

Alert was given by another child

Agents from the Coast Guard and Carabinieri, under the coordination of the Genoa Public Prosecutor's Office, took statements and found that there was no mandatory notice stating that children under 12 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.

According to the reconstruction carried out by Italian authorities, Alice was taking her last dip before leaving the pool, which was about one meter deep. However, she did not return to the surface, and it was another child who noticed the situation and alerted the adults.

The resort owner immediately entered the water and, using a knife, cut Alice's hair, which was stuck in the suction system grille, managing to remove her from the pool. He then began resuscitation maneuvers and used a defibrillator, while other people called emergency services.

After the accident, the Italian Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies, Nello Musumeci, defended the urgent adoption of measures to reinforce safety in public and private swimming pools in Italy.

"Alice's death demonstrates that it is no longer possible to postpone measures to ensure safety in swimming pools. In the last three months, five minors have died in these places. Stricter legislation is needed, but also more prudence so that children are never left alone in the water," he said, in a statement reproduced by the Italian news agency ANSA.

The president of the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Silvia Salis, classified the death as "an unacceptable tragedy", while the president of the Liguria region, Marco Bucci, said it was "a tragedy that leaves us speechless".

Meanwhile, the Genoa Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation on suspicion of negligent homicide, and the case remains under investigation by the Italian authorities.

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