A young boy died from drowning at a public swimming pool in a tight-knit community in South Australia.
The incident took place in Lawrie Terrace, Riverland, where a 9-year-old boy was pulled out of the Waikerie Pool on Saturday afternoon after onlookers noticed he was unconscious.
After the paramedics arrived at the public swimming pool, they attempted to resuscitate the child with little success. He was later pronounced dead at Waikerie Hospital.
“Our thoughts are with the family involved as well as the lifeguards, first responders and others present at the time,” Waikerie Community Pool confirmed in a statement.
The incident has since sent shockwaves through the small community with people branding the drowning as “tragic” and “heartbreaking.”
“Kids should feel safe at the pool, especially considering the river is unsafe,” one local, who lives next to the pool, said.
“My heart goes out to the family and I feel for the lifeguards.”
Speaking out was also Trevor Norton, the mayor of Loxton and Waikerie, who said the entire community was saddened by the boy’s death while sending his condolences to the family.
“It is with sadness that we let the community know of a fatal incident that occurred yesterday at the Waikerie Swimming Centre,” his official post read.
“We extend our deep condolences to the parents and family that lost their loved one. We are in shock that this has occurred in our community and it is difficult to find the words to offer comfort in a time of extreme grief.”
The statement continued: “We will look to offer counselling support to the community and especially the community members who were present at such a traumatic event.”
As of this writing, the details surrounding the unfortunate incident remain unclear.
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