21-year-old girl drowns in Ghatkopar swimming pool

A twenty-one year old girl drowned in the Ghatkopar Swimming Pool on Thursday while swimming with her younger sister, even as her mother sat by the pool side.

The chief supervisor of the swimming pool and a trainer pulled the girl out and rushed her to the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital, where she was declared dead.

Civic authorities claimed that Kanchan Rode, who had taken admission to the swimming pool in January, was suffering from epilepsy and had a seizure while swimming.

However Suryakant Rode, the girl's father, said that civic officials made the false statement to save themselves. Rode said that it was the fault of the instructor who did not accompany his daughter into deep water, though he knew she was a beginner. Nor was his daughter given a float, Rode said.

The statement given by the pool's supervisor Dinesh Maru said that on Thursday, both the sisters entered the water, with 42 other members of the pool. Kanchan took two rounds in deep water and then went to the shallow area (5.5 feet deep). In a few minutes, Maru noticed that Kanchan was under water. Maru immediately threw a safety float near her and jumped in the water to save her. His colleague Vinod Padwalkar also rushed to help her. Both of them pulled the girl out and tried to give first aid, the statement read.

The Pant Nagar police have registered an accidental death case.