A serious incident has shocked tourists in Milano Marittima, on the coast of Ravenna in Italy, after a 4-year-old girl from Austria drowned in a hotel pool.
The father of the minor has been placed under investigation by the Ravenna Prosecutor’s Office, on suspicion of child abandonment.
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According to initial investigations by the Carabinieri, he had asked the girl to wait in an area between the playground and the pool, while he left for a few minutes, likely to get something from the room.
When he returned, the situation had taken a tragic turn and efforts to save the little girl proved futile.
Hotel security camera footage has helped investigators reconstruct the event. According to published data, the video shows the little girl walking alone towards the pool and then she disappears from view in a darker area.
From the footage, it is suspected that Magdalena remained in the water for about 7-8 minutes before being noticed by people nearby.
A doctor, who was in the hotel area, was seen coming out and trying to give first aid to the girl, while the father arrived a little later.
According to the reconstruction of the event, two young children were the first to notice something was wrong. They saw the pool gates open, entered, and noticed something moving in the water. They then raised the alarm, alerting those around.
The Austrian family was on holiday on the Italian Riviera and had planned to return to Austria on Sunday, July 19. Magdalena was with her parents and two older sisters.
Investigators are also examining the safety conditions of the pool area. According to preliminary information, at the time of the drowning, around 2:00 PM, there was no lifeguard service, and the pool entrance was open.
The Prosecutor’s Office has launched proceedings in which the hypothesis of involuntary manslaughter is also being considered. An autopsy is expected to be carried out in the coming days to determine the exact causes of death.
Meanwhile, the hotel pool has been seized by order of the prosecutor’s office following an on-site inspection that lasted over two hours.
