Child safety: 12-year-old drowns in school swimming pool

The children were apparently playing in the pool unmonitored, says the father.

LAHORE:

A 12-year old boy drowned in a swimming pool at his school on Wednesday.

Suleman Manzoor Bhatti had left for school early in the morning for a summer camp. His exams had just ended on Monday.

His mother, Bushra Bibi, was to pick him up at 10am when she returned from her job at a hospital where she is a staff nurse.

According to Bushra Bibi, when she arrived at Suleman’s school, Lords International School System, she was told to wait while the school administration said they would fetch him. But 30 minutes into her wait, Bushra said she got anxious. She was then told that Suleman had drowned in the swimming pool and had been taken to a hospital.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Suleman’s father, Manzoor Bhatti, said that his son had insisted on attending the school’s summer camp. Suleman had said that he would take part in a swimming competition at the camp, said Bhatti.

“We were not sure what the camp was about and how many children would attend, so we were reluctant initially to send him,” Bhatti said, “But Suleman was so excited about it that we later agreed.”

Bhatti said he was not sure exactly how his son died. “His school mates told us that he had drowned in the pool,” Bhatti said.

He said he blamed the school for negligence in the matter.

“The children were apparently playing in the pool unmonitored,” he said.



Suleman was taken to Fazal Hospital where the doctor said that he had died before he got there, said Bhatti.

The school’s administration was unavailable for comment. However, Suleman’s family said that the principal had visited them in the evening and said that incident was an accident and that Suleman was immediately taken to a hospital for medical attention.

Gulberg Police went to the school and questioned the school administration and the swimming instructor. The Gulberg SHO said no legal action had been initiated against anyone as Suleman’s family had not filed a complaint. They said that Bhatti had refused a post mortem examination of his child when he was asked if he wanted to complete the medico-legal procedure.

Waseem, the swimming instructor, told police that he was present at the time of the incident.

He said that nine children were swimming in the pool and were making a lot of noise.

He said that he was sitting by the pool side when one of the children pointed out that Suleman was missing. Waseem told police that he immediately dived into the pool and found Suleman’s body at the bottom of the pool.

Waseem said that Suleman was immediately taken to a hospital.

Rescue officials confirmed that they were not contacted by the school administration.

Police said they suspected that Waseem was not a professional instructor. Suleman’s body has been sent to a morgue at Mayo Hospital, his family said.

WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AKBAR BAJWA

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2013.