Girl, 11, Dies on Family Vacation After Getting Her Hair Caught in Swimming Pool Drain

• An 11-year-old girl died while she was on vacation with her family
• The child’s hair got caught in the suction pipe of a beach resort’s swimming pool, and she later died at a nearby hospital
• Local officials are now calling for enhanced pool safety measures

An 11-year-old girl died after her hair got caught in the suction pipe of a swimming pool while she was on vacation with her family.

The incident occurred at the Bagni Segesta beach resort in Sestri Levante, Italy, on Tuesday, July 14, Italian newspaper La Sicilia and The U.S. Sunreported, citing local authorities.

Onlookers initially noticed that the victim, identified only as Alice from Milan, was struggling underwater, and when they tried to pull the child out, they struggled to free her from the drain, according to the outlets.

According to La Sicilia and the Sun, paramedics attempted CPR on Alice at the scene. She was airlifted to the Gaslini Pediatric Hospital in Genoa in critical condition, where she later died.

The hospital said in a statement to La Sicilia, “The entire hospital stands by the family in this moment of unimaginable pain, expressing deep gratitude for a choice capable of transforming an unfillable void into concrete hope for other families.”

Nello Musumeci, Italy’s Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies (MCPMP), urged for enhanced pool safety efforts after the tragedy.

“The death of Alice, the 11-year-old girl who was sucked into a pool drain in Sestri Levante, highlights the need, which can no longer be postponed, to ensure the safety of public and private swimming pools in Italy,” he said, per La Sicilia.

Musumeci added that the child’s death took place after four other minors similarly died in pools within the region, the outlet reported.

“A strict regulation is needed, but also greater caution in never leaving children alone in the water,” the local official said. “The government bill by Meloni’s administration, aimed at this goal, will be approved by the competent Commission within the month, and we will do everything possible to schedule it urgently.”