Boy drowns on 4th birthday
2007-12-21 18:03
Johannesburg - A four-year-old boy drowned on his birthday in a residential pool in Germiston on Friday, Johannesburg paramedics said.
His body was found floating in the unprotected swimming pool at about 13:30.
"It is not known how long the child was in the water before his body was discovered. There were no signs of life and the child was declared dead at the scene," said Netcare911 spokesperson, Nick Dollman.
Paramedics from Netcare 911 and the Ekurhuleni provincial ambulance service attended to the incident. A chaplain from the Ekurhuleni emergency services was sent to the scene to attend to the family, said Dollman.
Netcare 911 has attended to nearly 50 drowning or
near-drowning incidents in Gauteng since the beginning of spring 2007.
"The majority of the victims who have drowned in swimming pools have been small children and during the holiday season we urge parents and child minders to protect their pools with gates or safety nets and to keep a watchful eye on children at all times," said Dollman.
- SAPA