Boy In South Korea Dies After Swimming Class, Drowned As Life Jacket Got Caught On Ladder

6-Year-Old Boy In South Korea Drowns During Swimming Class

Swimming lessons are a great way for children to pick up useful life skills.

However, in places like swimming pools, tragedies can still happen in an instant.

A six-year-old boy in Busan, South Korea recently suffered brain death and passed away following a tragic swimming lesson.

He drowned as his life jacket got caught by the pool ladder.

Boy drowns during swimming class when back float gets caught on ladder

According to The Korea Herald, the incident occurred during a three-to-one swimming lesson on 8 Feb.

The pool is owned and operated by the apartment complex where the victim lived and has a depth of 1.4m. This is slightly higher than the child’s height, which was 1.09m.

Investigations found that the six-year-old boy’s life jacket got caught between the rungs of the pool ladder while diving in.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed the swimming instructor tending to another student at the opposite end of the pool when the boy started drowning.

Unfortunately, during that time, there was no lifeguard on duty. The child’s parents were also not present as they were working.

The Financial News reports that the child’s mother posted in an online forum following the incident.

In her post, she shared, “After the accident, there was no apology phone call or visit from the current pool officials, and no discussion on how to save the child.”

I am spending every minute and every second apologising for my child while beating my heart in irreversible regret.

She also blamed her son’s death on “the carelessness of the safety personnel at the pool”.

“This is something that should not have happened and could have been prevented,” she told local media.

Instructor allegedly ignored the other student’s call for help

EDAILY reports that another student, an eight-year-old, had called the instructor for help when the boy first started drowning.

However, the instructor allegedly thought it was a joke and did not immediately check on the situation.

The eight-year-old then tried to pull the six-year-old out of the pool but to no avail as he was not strong enough.

The instructor finally realised what was going on after the third child called for help again.

At that point, the instructor lifted the child out of the pool and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for about 30 minutes.

The boy was resuscitated in what medical staff described as a “miracle”.

However, he was diagnosed as brain-dead and was put on life support.

Mother turns to online forums to seek help following his diagnosis

According to EDAILY, doctors recommended that the boy’s parents let the boy die with dignity by removing the life support.

However, the boy’s mother was unwilling to let go of her son.

She wrote in her post on 14 Feb, “The child is showing miracles and making his heart beat with all his might. As a mother, I cannot let go of my child’s hand, so I ask for help from the world. I need help for a brain-dead child. Please, treat my child.”

Unfortunately, the boy succumbed to his condition and died on 15 Feb — exactly one week after the drowning incident occurred.

South Korean police are now investigating the cause of the accident.

The swimming instructor and pool officials may be charged with negligent homicide if found that their negligence caused the boy’s death.

MS News extends our deepest condolences to the family of the boy. May he rest in peace.

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Featured image adapted from Eduardo Goody on Unsplash, for illustration purposes only.