
An investigation has been launched by the Police as well as the Child Care and Protection Agency, after a 14-year-old boy lost his life by drowning on Tuesday afternoon at the National Aquatic Centre at Lilliendaal.
The dead youth has been identified as Joel Adams, who lived at the Sophia Care Centre, which is managed by the Child Care and Protection Agency and the Ministry of Human Services.
According to a Police report of the incident, one of the coaches related to the investigators that the swim session had ended, when the teenager was seen doing a “back flip” into the pool. Investigators were told that a life guard jumped overboard to rescue him.
He was pulled from the pool and resuscitation efforts were started by a nurse. The Police report said the young man was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Some of the other children who were part of the swim programme have related to their guardians that they never saw the teenager doing any “back flip” into the pool. They said they saw when he was pulled from the water and efforts were made to revive him, but could not say exactly when he went underwater.
The teenager was taken to the pool for the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports’ swim programme, along with other youths from the Sophia Care Centre and other children.
There were more than 50 children participating in the swim programme yesterday. A number of questions have now surfaced about the number of lifeguards and instructors that should be on duty during the children’s programme.
At the Sophia Care Centre today, counselors were summoned to offer support and guidance to the other children who were at the swim programme and to friends of the young boy that died.
He was a resident at the Child Care Centre for more than six years.
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