Plunged into the water

Child (3) in mortal danger while playing in the sand

Fortunately, the rescue chain at the St. Martin outdoor pool worked perfectly.(Bild: Schütz Markus)

A few seconds were all it took for a three-year-old boy to fall into serious danger and almost drown while playing in the sand at the St. Martin outdoor pool in Upper Austria. After a desperate search, the mother found the boy just in time. Resuscitation on site was successful.

The little boy from Mühlviertel was successfully resuscitated by the lifeguard on Monday afternoon after the mother found her child underwater in the exit area of the pool. It is now known why the boy fell into the water unnoticed. The parents had been playing with him in the sandpit, which is located above the pool near the slide entrance.

"It was less than two minutes"
One look and the toddler was gone. The parents immediately set off in search of their son, who was already floating under the water unnoticed by dozens of bathers. "It was less than two minutes," cried the mother after the child had been found and rescued from the water - motionless, blue in the face. It remains unclear whether the boy had climbed into the slide or fallen into the water below.

"Proud of our lifeguard"
"The rescue chain worked perfectly", praised the emergency doctor later. The lifeguard immediately began resuscitation while the rescue team was alerted by emergency call. The boy responded immediately to the resuscitation and was responsive when the rescuers arrived. "I'm proud of our lifeguard. The fact that he is a firefighter is certainly an advantage. He knows what to do," said Mayor Manfred Lanzersdorfer, praising his employee.

"Always look in the water first when searching"
The boy was flown to Passau Children's Hospital - there were no beds available in Upper Austria - where he was cared for in the intensive care unit. On Tuesday, the little boy was still in hospital.

"If a child is missing and a pool or even just a rain barrel is nearby, always look in the water first," advise water rescuers in such cases.