Chennai: The usually busy VV Swimming Academy that has been conducting summer crash courses for school students wore a deserted look in Mogappair after an eight-year-old child drowned on Saturday. Much to the dismay, the swimming coach fled the scene and the pool was closed.
“The victim identified as Andrea was initially enthusiastically paddling all around the pool. But little later her father saw her resting near a corner and it was only after 20 minutes that he realised that she was not moving,” said a family member wishing not to be quoted. “We assumed that the girl had fainted, but shock was awaiting for us as doctors at Kilpauk Medical College confirmed that Andrea had passed away,” the relative told Deccan Chronicle fighting tears and consoling the bereaving family.
According to doctors who examined the class 3 girl in their autopsy report revealed that the victim chocked to death after water entered her lungs, while swimming.
Swimming experts seek better regulations to avoid such incidents from happening again as a huge number of children join swimming classes every summer.
“The cause for such drowning incidents is pure negligence of lifeguards who hold responsibility of learners. There are many precautions that parents can take before joining their kid,” said Veerabadhan, a swimming coach in Velachery.
He suggests checking proper certification of coaches and lifeguards. The caretakers monitor the learners constantly, especially if they are kids. On the other hand, a government swimming coach opined that such accidents do happen as kids do not breathe through the mouth while swimming and release bubbles in the water. Also, if they breathe through nose, the water enters their brain.
The kids must not strain themselves by swimming over permissible duration and must not dive into deep waters till they are confident enough. At times, the lifeguards are also being careless,” he said.
