A 12-year-old Russian girl has died while on a vacation in Turkey after her arm was sucked into a swimming pool pumping device, according to reports.
Alisa Adamova, from St. Petersburg, was trapped underwater on Aug. 18 for almost 15 minutes while those around her, including her father, tried to free her from the powerful pump.
Her arm and hand were sucked into the pump, which supplied water to a slide at the swimming pool, according to reports.
Guests of the resort, the Sunhill Hotel in the city of Bodrum, said that hotel staff failed to immediately respond to the incident by turning off the pool pump, because they reportedly could not find the switch, UK tabloid The Sun reported.
The girl’s mother, Natalya Adamova, told Russian online news outlet Fontanka: “Her dad dived and saw our child stuck underwater. He tried to pull her out but her hand was very strongly sucked into the pump pipe.
“He called for help. Other guests rushed to assist. But even after hotel workers turned off the pump, they could not free her hand. … Then he and seven other guests broke the pipe and pulled Alisa out along with a piece of pipe on her arm.”
Seven people and the girl’s father had come to her aid during the ordeal.
Russian girl, 12, dies after being sucked into a swimming pool pump and trapped underwater for 15 minutes https://t.co/4aAshATnw8
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) August 30, 2019
The girl was unresponsive when she reached the surface. Those around her performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and called paramedics for help. She was later transported to a hospital in Bodrum. The Sun reported that Russian doctors flew to Turkey to help local medics save her, and although paramedics later successfully restarted Adamova’s heart, she died 11 days later.
Andris Leikutsis, the girl’s father, wrote on social network platform VKontakte that his daughter had passed away. “We know that life goes on, but our life will never be the same as before.”
Girl fighting for life after getting her hand sucked into pool’s underwater pump in Turkey hotel https://t.co/S4a99AYPi5
— The Sun (@TheSun) August 21, 2019
“We frantically called the hotel staff to switch off the pump, but none of the staff came to help,” Polish tourist Tomasz Grushalski said of the incident, according to the UK tabloid. “It took ten minutes to switch the pump off and after that it was still impossible to get her out at first.”
He told British tabloid The Daily Mirror that “incompetent” staff then “tried to blame the mother” for what happened.
Girl, 12, dies after arm is sucked into swimming pool pump at holiday resort https://t.co/8tLxzVkYpl pic.twitter.com/QcNdUi2A9n
— Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) August 29, 2019
“This trip will forever remain in our memory due to a tragic event caused by the incompetence of the hotel management,” he added. “My eight-year-old daughter, who witnessed the event, still cannot cope with it.”
TripAdvisor temporarily suspended new reviews of the Sunhill Hotel after the incident, after a marked increase in posts about the tragedy, according to the Mirror.
The Mirror reported that a note at the top of the page read: “Due to a recent event that has attracted media attention and has caused an influx of review submissions that do not describe a first-hand experience, we have temporarily suspended publishing new reviews for this listing. If you’ve had a firsthand experience at this property, please check back soon—we’re looking forward to receiving your review!”
TripAdvisor appears to have reinstated the option for customers to submit reviews of the hotel as of Aug. 29.
Police continue to investigate the incident, and three staff of the hotel has been ordered to stay in the country, according to the Sun.
The outlet reported that a Russian diplomat called on Turkish authorities to find those who are responsible so they can “bear [the punishment] they deserve.”
