The tragedy took place on Easter Sunday at the Duca di Montefeltro hotel in Pennabilli, northern Italy, where the family was on vacation. According to Il Giornale, the pool is approximately 1.5 meters deep.
When the boy named Matteo was pulled into the hole connected to the pump, his parents and uncle were also in the water. The boy got his foot stuck in the drain and was unable to emerge, which the adults in the bubbling water did not notice right away.
They then tried to free him, but Matteo lost consciousness in the meantime. He managed to free himself only after the boy’s aunt ran to the hot tub operator, who turned off the device.
After being pulled ashore, the boy was no longer breathing. Called paramedics revived her for 40 minutes, after which they managed to restore her heart rhythm.
The helicopter took Matteo to the hospital, where doctors declared him brain dead after four days, the TGCOM24 server wrote. Meanwhile, the devastated parents agreed to donate the boy’s organs.
“All the organs were donated to save the lives of other children,” confirmed the family’s lawyer Umberto Gramenzi.
The police are investigating the tragedy as a negligent homicide. Investigators closed the hotel’s pool area and are questioning the staff. In particular, they are trying to clarify who and why removed the protective grid from the filter opening.
