Three members of the same
British family have died at a hotel in the Costa Del Sol, according to reports. It is understood a nine-year-old girl got into difficulties in a swimming pool at Club La Costa World and her older brother and their father jumped into the water to save her. Police divers have been inspecting the pool’s pump amid fears that it may have played a role in the incident. Well-placed sources described the girl and her father as British and 53-years-old but said the boy, a 16-year-old, was travelling on an
American passport. The children's mother is understood to have been one of the people who raised the alarm and is thought to have been interviewed by investigators. A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are offering assistance to a British woman following an incident in Spain." The sprawling holiday resort overlooks the Mediterranean and is just a short drive from Fuengirola. One insider close to the ongoing probe said: "The girl's brother and then the father jumped into the water when they saw she was in difficulties. All three have died. "An investigation is ongoing so it is too early to say what has happened but specialist Civil Guard divers were mobilised after the gravity of what had occurred became apparent and one of the things they have looked at is the pool pump." Tanya Aamer, 23, a holidaymaker from Birmingham who is staying at the resort, told the PA news agency she saw "bodies covered in white sheets" by the side of the pool, and could hear "a woman crying aloud". "The atmosphere as I was walking past is indescribable," Ms Aamer said. "Obviously we've never been in that situation before so we just began walking slowly in a slight state of confusion as to what we're witnessing and eventually when we got to the bottom it was just silent, no talking or anything." A statement from resort operator Club La Costa World said: "Management at Club La Costa World resort would like to offer its heartfelt condolences to the family affected by the loss of three family members on 24th December 2019. "The guests were found unresponsive in one of the resort's pools. First response teams and emergency services attended and administered first aid. "The management are assisting the authorities fully with their investigation into the deaths. "We would like to thank our first response team and the emergency services for their quick and appropriate responses, and our staff for the continuing support of the family at this difficult time." The resort where the three deaths occurred is the same one where a nine-year-old British girl died in February after suffering a severe allergic reaction to an ice-cream. Habiba Chishti, from Halifax, was staying with her family at the resort and went into anaphylactic shock there although she had eaten her treat at a nearby shopping centre. An inquest held at Halifax Town Hall in May heard she was allergic to eggs and nuts with local reports at the time saying it was believed it was the sauce on the ice-cream that contained the ingredients that killed her. The bodies of the three family members have been transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Malaga. Post-mortem examinations are expected to take place on Wednesday.