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Lad slipped away from mum under pretext of buying drink
Roy Prince
Roy Prince, the eight-year-old boy, who drowned at the Roger Hinds International Hotel poolside on Independence Day, had slipped away from his mother under the pretext of seeking to purchase a soft drink.
The Mahdia Primary School pupil drowned at around 17:10 hrs on Tuesday after plunging into the deeper end of the pool which is reserved for adults and stronger swimmers.
Roy’s mother, Saudaha Caesar, said that the child could not swim.
Hotel owner, Roger Hinds, helped transport the lad’s body to the Lyken Funeral Parlour yesterday.
Mr. Hinds said that only one lifeguard was on duty at the time. However, the businessman said that he has a “pool rule” that stipulates that children who enter the pool should be supervised by a guardian.
Ms. Caesar told Kaieteur News that she was at the poolside with Roy and four of his siblings. She said that two of the older children were in the deeper section of the pool.
At the time, she was keeping watch over Roy and her three-year-old daughter, who were in the “small pool.”
“I was looking at him and (then) he said ‘Mommy, I want to go for a drink and apparently he went into the big pool.”
The mother said that some time later, she saw “a lot of people running” towards the deeper end of the pool. She followed them and saw her son lying motionless by the poolside while people attempted to revive him.
“They were trying to give him CPR but he give one breath and then stopped. I don’t blame anybody. I trust in God.”
Hotel manager Roger Hinds told Kaieteur News that he was holding his annual Independence Day celebrations at the hotel. He explained that he would normally have meals for the children in the community.
He added that several guests were at the poolside.
According to the manager, the lifeguard saw eight-year-old Roy Prince in the deep section of the pool and took him out on three occasions.
“The third time he took the boy to his mother and told her he (Roy) can’t swim.”
Mr. Hinds said that he left for his home, which is about 400 meters away.
When he returned there were several more swimmers in the pool and he brought two other persons to assist the lifeguard.
Nevertheless, the child managed to slip away from his mother and plunge into the section reserved for experienced swimmers.
According to Mr. Hinds, another child saw Roy plunge into the pool but assumed that he was diving.
The child reportedly realized that something was amiss when the eight-year-old failed to surface.
“By the time they jump in (and brought him out) he was already unconscious.”
According to Mr. Hinds, a medic from the Mahdia Hospital arrived and tried to revive the boy.
However, he said that the lad was vomiting and the medic was hesitant to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
The child was reportedly still alive when he arrived at the Mahdia Hospital, but succumbed shortly after.
In the wake of the tragedy, Mr. Hinds said that he intends to deploy two lifeguards at the poolside to avert further mishaps.
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