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British toddler tragically drowns in villa pool on the Costa Blanca
Medics were unable to revive the 18-month-old who was pulled unconscious from the private pool in La Nucia, Alicante province
A British toddler has drowned in a private swimming pool at a villa in La Nucia, 10km from Benidorm.
It's not clear whether the 18-month-old was a boy or a girl, or whether the dead child's family were on holiday or live at the villa.
Tragedy struck at around 10am on Friday May 12 when the child was pulled unconscious from the water. Emergency responders along with police and a helicopter were quickly on the scene, but all efforts to resuscitate the toddler proved unsuccessful.
The Emergency Information and Coordination Centre (Cicu), has confirmed the child was accompanied by its mother and three siblings, all British.
A spokesperson for the Guardia Civil said: "This incident is still under investigation but everything so far is pointing to the youngster's death being a tragic accident."
Unsurprisingly, the highest number of drownings in swimming pools and on beaches in Spain occur during the summer and spring. And the Valencia Region recorded the highest number of drownings in 2022 with 67. There were a total of 394 drownings in Spain last year, 51% more than in 2021.
The National Drowning Report (INA), published by the Royal Spanish Lifesaving and Rescue Federation at the beginning of the year states that "2022 yielded the fifth worst figure (for drownings) in the last eight years, behind the maximum, which was in 2017 with 481 fatalities".
There were 440 in 2019, 437 in 2016 and 415 in 2015.
"This shows that far from being diluted, unintentional drownings in Spanish aquatic areas are a major problem for public health and safety", warned spokesperson and director of Prevention and Safety of the Federation, Francisco Cano.
He has once again demanded a state strategy for aquatic safety and stressed the importance of ensuring that the most vulnerable people, such as children, the elderly and people who cannot swim, "are always kept under surveillance in aquatic areas".
In terms of autonomous communities, the Valencia Region recorded the most deaths by unintentional drowning last year, with 67, followed by 63 in the Canary Islands, 56 in Andalucia, 40 in Cataluña and 39 in the Balearics and Galicia.
Image: Archive
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