An 11-year-old girl who died after her hair became trapped in a swimming pool's suction pipe has been pictured for the first time.
Alice Ferrari was on holiday with her family in Sestri Levante in Lombardy, Italy, when she suffered the fatal accident at a lido on Wednesday, July 15. She had entered a shallow indoor pool to escape the extreme heat on the beach, but was dragged underwater after her hair got stuck in a suction nozzle.
“Alice Ferrari, 11, died after hair trapped in pool drain on holiday in Italy.”
Another child raised the alarm after noticing Alice had failed to resurface. The lido's co-manager, Daniele Muzio, then jumped into the pool with a pair of scissors and cut her hair to free her from the water intake outlet connected to the pool's filtration system.
Alice, unconscious when pulled up, was given CPR for 45 minutes before being airlifted in a critical condition to Gaslini Children's Hospital in Genoa. She tragically died at the hospital on Friday.
Prosecutors are now investigating whether safety regulations were followed, including the rule requiring children under 12 to be accompanied by an adult when using swimming pools. Initial investigations suggest the lido may not have displayed the mandatory sign informing visitors of the rule.
Muzio and his mother Anna Copello, who co-manages the Bagni Segesta lido with him, are now under investigation over Alice's death. The small pool, around one metre deep, has also been seized so investigators can examine its safety features.
Italy's Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies, Nello Musumeci, has co-signed a bill with Health Minister Orazio Schillaci to ensure stricter measures at pools. He said: "In the last three months, five minors have died in swimming pools. Strict discipline is needed, but also greater caution is needed in never leaving children alone in the water. The Meloni government's bill, aimed at this goal, will be approved by the relevant committee within the month, and we will do everything possible to schedule it urgently."
Alice, from Suisio, was a rising talent in the equestrian community, having developed a love for horse riding since the age of six. She trained at the Isola Equestrian Centre in Bergamo, northeast of Milan. The Italian Equestrian Sports Federation described her as a "promising young rider with a bright future ahead of her".
Her parents have decided to donate her organs, with the retrieval procedure set to take place after a post-mortem examination scheduled for July 21.
