7-year-old girl drowns in pool at resort near Mumbai

According to the police, there was no lifeguard at the resort swimming pool

A seven-year-old girl drowned in a pool at an Arnala resort in Virar on Friday. The victim, Afiya Abdullah Shaikh, had gone to the resort with a group of 22 people, including her parents and family friends.

Following Afiya’s death, the police registered a case of accidental death. (FOR REPRESENTATION/ HT FILE)

According to the police, there was no lifeguard at the resort swimming pool. The Arnala Coastal police station has registered a case of accidental death.

Afiya’s body has been sent for post-mortem. “Once we receive the post-mortem report, we will register a first information report (FIR) against the resort owner if needed. We will investigate why there was no lifeguard near the pool and whether the owner had the necessary permits to operate the pool,” said police inspector Appasaheb Lengare of Arnala Coastal police station.

On Friday, a group comprising 14 adults, six children and two infants, residents of Malvani, Malad visited the resort for a holiday. The incident took place around 1pm, when the group was relaxing by the pool.

Initially, the group members did not notice Afiya was drowning.

After a while, some of them heard her screams and rushed to help her. She was taken to a nearby hospital, but declared dead on arrival.