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AN Indian father-of-two who was found unconscious floating in a private swimming pool on Saturday night died on his way to hospital after multiple attempts to revive him failed.
Sachin Samuel, 39, a senior employee at a private insurance firm, is the kingdom’s second reported victim of a water tragedy this month.
Indian Sidharth Sajeev, 27, had drowned in a pool at a beach resort on August 9.
Official records state that Mr Samuel, from Kochi, Kerala, suffered a ‘cardiac arrest due to drowning’ and died at 11pm en route to Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC).
The 39-year-old, who had moved to Bahrain from Dubai recently, was living in a gated community in Tubli, with his wife Bincy and two toddler sons.
According to family sources, Mr Samuel was trained in swimming and had gone to the pool after dinner with his family.
“He was trained in Dubai, but took to swimming in the pool in his compound for the first time on Saturday,” the source said.
“It was around 10pm and children who were riding bicycles inside the compound at night saw Sachin floating in the pool.
“At first, they thought someone was swimming, but when they returned for a second round, they noticed him floating in the same spot and alerted adults.
“We rushed to the pool and he had a pulse; a doctor staying nearby tried CPR on him, and by then the ambulance arrived and he was taken to SMC.
“Unfortunately, he did not make it to the hospital.”
According to the source, Mr Samuel was a ‘family man who was devoted to his sons’, who were waiting for the ambulance to bring their ‘papa’ home until late at night.
“Unfortunately, the boys saw Sachin being taken into the ambulance and were waiting for their father to return. Sachin was always with his family after work,” the source said.
“This morning, the older one was asking us when the ambulance would bring papa home, which was heart-breaking.
“The wife is also distraught.”
A resident of the compound said although guards were not assigned by the poolside, security personnel were deployed in the compound round the clock.
“Usually residents go walking around the pool at night and the place is well-lit,” the Indian man added.
“When children go there, adults accompany them. In Sachin’s case, he went alone and as an adult, perhaps the need for security did not occur to the guard as well, it is normal.”
Prior to moving into the compound, the family was staying at the Abraj Al Lulu.
Mr Samuel’s body is at the SMC morgue awaiting repatriation, facilitated by his employers.
The GDN previously reported on Bahrain’s efforts to reduce drownings, with authorities promising a tougher crackdown on unlicensed pools as well as water safety awareness campaigns.
A 67-year-old Bahraini man drowned last month while swimming off the coast of Barbar, while a 42-year-old Indian expatriate died a few days earlier after his vehicle crashed into the sea in Sitra and he was unable to swim to safety.
The country witnessed seven fatal drowning tragedies in 2020 and five in 2021, alongside four non-fatal incidents in 2020 and one in 2021.
raji@gdnmedia.bh
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