Source: Sky News, Monday December 22, 2008
The hotel swimming pool where a boy drowned at the start of a Disneyland holiday was unsupervised at the time, it has been revealed.
The owners of Hotel Explorers, near the resort in Paris, confirmed that no lifeguard was on duty when five-year-old Colum Canning was pulled from the water.
The autistic boy, from Londonderry, Northern Ireland, drowned not long after the family had checked in on Thursday.
Colum was at the three-star hotel, which is not connected to Disneyland, with his twin brother Kieran, seven-year-old sister Caitlin and parents David and Karen.
It is understood Colum was playing with his siblings on the ground floor of the building when he disappeared from his mother's view for a few moments.
The unconscious boy was pulled from the water by another guest a short time later.
Colum died in hospital on Saturday when his parents took the decision to switch off his life support machine.
The boy's aunt, Sophie Martin Canning, said:"Colum was a lovely five-year-old boy."
The family had gone to Disneyland for Christmas and to celebrate the twins' birthday on Boxing Day.
Family friend Donna Grant told BBC Radio Ulster: "I'm trying to imagine how Karen is feeling. She is so protective of those children."
The family has moved to stay in another hotel as preparations got under way to bring Colum home - but it could be after Christmas before arrangements are finalised.
-----------------
He was loving and full of mischief. The twins were inseparable. They just could not be separated ever.
Aunt Sophie Martin Canning
She has them by the hand and always knows what they are at. She never, ever lets them out of her sight. Never.
Family friend Donna Grant
-----------------
Post new comment