CHENNAI: In a rude wake-up call for first- aid preparedness, an eight-year-old girl drowned in front of her parents and trainer while learning to swim at a summer camp in Mogappair East, here on Satur-day morning. Alleging that the staff of the swimming academy were of little help, the girl’s uncle said, “Had they administered proper first aid in those initial minutes, we sure would not have lost Andrea.”
A Class III student of a school in Nolambur, PG Andrea was at the deep end (5 ft) of the pool at VV Swimming Pool Academy, said police officials. “She was rushed to the hospital, only to be declared dead,” added inspector K Murugesan, of the JJ Nagar police station, hardly a stone’s throw from the academy.
As Andrea was interested in swimming, her parents signed her up for coaching 11 days ago, said the girl’s relatives. Officials confirmed that a coach, the girl’s father, who is an associate director in the film industry, and mother, who works at an IT company, were present at the time of the incident.