- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 04:36 05:52 12:21 15:49 18:45 20:02
Leila, was born to an Egyptian father and Russian mother. (Supplied)
A five-year-old girl suffered severe injuries after nearly drowning in a hotel swimming pool in Ras Al Khaimah.
The girl, Leila, is Egyptian-Russian and is currently in a coma at the Al Faqr Hospital.
The tragic incident took place on April 2 at one of the swimming pools of the Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Resort & Spa, where the family was staying for a three-day break away from their residence in Dubai.
According to the family, the girl was underwater for 10 minutes before she was rescued and rushed to hospital.
The accident, which has been confirmed by the Ras Al Khaimah Police, has left the girl in a coma for almost three weeks now.
Barek, the father of the girl, said: “Her injuries are very severe. She is on the ventilator and is in a level 3 coma. We do not know what will happen to her.”
The accident happened around noon, when the family had gone to the beach to search for some towels.
The daughter had stayed behind to play with a girl from a neighbouring villa.
When the couple returned, they did not see the girls.
“My wife started searching for her. She also went to the pool to ask the lifeguard if he had seen her.
“Minutes after that he jumped in the pool, as he noticed the girl drowning.
“A guest at the hotel who happened to be a doctor conducted the necessary first aid, until an ambulance arrived 25 minutes later.”
Raouf Benchedli, Resort Manager, Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Resort & Spa, confirmed the incident in a statement in response to Emirates 24|7 queries.
“We can confirm that on Wednesday, April 2nd, a young guest was taken to the hospital following an incident at the Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Resort & Spa pool. The local authorities are investigating the matter and we are, of course, fully cooperating with them as the well-being, safety and security of our guests are of paramount importance to us,” Benchedli said.
The parents of the child have filed a case with RAK Police.
According to Barek, the hotel does not permit children without parents in the pool, but the girl had been able to slip through and fall in the pool.
The accident is not the first case of drowning in the emirate, which witnessed a series of swimming pool incidents over the last couple of years.
In November 2013, a 52-year-old man died after he drowned in a swimming pool at a resort.
That year in June, the same fate struck a 5-year-old girl. In February, 2012 a woman died due to drowning, again in a resort’s swimming pool.
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