Cork boy, 3, fighting for his life following incident in Spanish swimming pool

A young Irish boy is fighting for his life after a swimming pool incident in Spain.

A young boy is fighting for his life in a Spanish hospital after getting into trouble in a holiday complex swimming pool.

The boy, who is understood to be three years old and from Cork, was found by a fellow holidaymaker floating face down in the pool at the Aldeas de Aguamarina complex, about 70km south of Alicante, just after 8am yesterday.

Four officers of the local Orihuela police were the first to arrive on the scene, where they found the young boy to be “very cold”, according to local reports.

Those reports further suggest CPR was administered to the boy, who had been deprived of oxygen for some time, following which he was treated by emergency services for two hours before finally being stabilised.

He was subsequently airlifted from the nearby beach by helicopter to hospital in Alicante.

Map: Marita Moloney

It is understood that his condition remains critical and that his family are at his side. It has not yet been established whether the boy fell into the pool while playing or if he had tried to swim.

The regional Leader website reported that the boy was holidaying with his grandparents, who are from Co Cork. It said the family had eaten breakfast, after which they realised that the boy was missing.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it is aware of the case, and providing consular assistance to the Irish citizens involved.

The Alicante region on the Costa Blanca on Spain’s southeastern tip is especially popular with Irish holidaymakers, due to its relatively affordable prices and soaring summer temperatures.

The incident follows less than a week after a similar tragic accident on Spanish soil saw a Co Meath teenager, who had also been holidaying with his family, lose his life.

Mikey Leddy, a 15-year-old from Navan, died hours after suffering a serious head injury when falling from a wall in Puerto del Carmen on Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.

His funeral will take place at 12pm today at St Mary’s Church in the town. A Gofundme campaign launched to aid Mikey’s family has raised nearly €22,000 in less than a week.