The family of a young girl who died in tragic circumstances in a popular Gran Canaria water park are seeking a full reconstruction of the incident to clarify how her death could have occurred.
The 2-year-old drowned while playing in the water in the park in the south of the island during Easter and the tragedy has sparked a bitter dispute over exactly what happened. Three weeks on, the family are demanding that events leading up to the certification of the toddler’s death be reconstructed, including interviews with every person who may have seen something at the pool.
In a lengthy statement released on Monday, the family said that initial descriptions of the drowning, including media reports that the girl had become trapped beneath lilos, were inaccurate and they accused interested parties of putting our false information for their own protection.
Among the specific requests made in the statement, the family want every moment of the incident to be revisited to verify how long it took for first aid to be administered to the child, who is believed to have been spotted by a woman from the sunbed area, who tried to pull her out of the water. They also want to know exact details of lifeguards and medical staff on duty at the busy park, as well as the qualifications they hold.
The family have reacted angrily to a statement put out by the park management after the incident in which they say it was at pains to reiterate reminders that children should not be left unsupervised by an adult and should only be allowed near a pool if wearing water wings or some other swimming aid. Describing the statement as lacking in sympathy for their plight and an attempt to shift blame to the girl’s grandmother, the family were adamant that she was “not left alone at any time”.
Insisting that the toddler could and should have been saved, the grieving family have urged anyone who witnessed the drowning and may have been taking videos or photos of the pool at the time to come forward to help provide an accurate reconstruction.
“We are prepared to go to whatever lengths are necessary to clarify this tragedy and establish any accountability that may exist” concluded the family statement.
