A seven-year-old boy di£d after becoming trapped in a swimming pool’s suction duct.
Gabriele Petrucci went to a wellness retreat in Castelforte, Italy with his parents and friends on April 18 to celebrate his birthday two days earlier.
He was in the shallow water with his mother, while his father stood just a few yards away at the pool’s edge, when he suddenly disappeared.
His father, Antonello, recalled: “At one point I turned round to put some things down and then I couldn’t see him any more. I saw Gabriele’s little body curled up in this suction pipe. I tried to pull him out with my hands.”
Gabriele was struggling underwater but was unable to resurface.
“Three people helped me and even with them I couldn’t get him out,” Antonello said. “They had to switch off the pump so I could free him. His arm was purple – he fought like a lion to get free.”
Gabriele and his parents
The family’s lawyer, Francesco Lauri, said: “They tried to revive him for a long time, but there was nothing they could do.”
Early findings suggest the outdoor pool’s suction pipe at the Complesso Termale Vescine was missing a protective grate.
Antonello accused the retreat of trying to cover its tracks in the immediate aftermath.
He told local media: “As if by magic, this grille appeared a long way off – so far away that I can only assume someone put it there afterwards.”
He said: “We are completely shocked. A family can’t leave as a group of three for a birthday party and return as a group of two. My wife is devastated. We had a son who was a jewel, strong and intelligent. My son died due to negligence.”
Prosecutors in Cassino are investigating four people for alleged manslaughter – including the retreat’s managers, the owner of the maintenance company and the worker responsible for refitting the grille.
A technical inspection of the site is due to be carried out on Monday, while Gabriele will be laid to rest in Rome on Saturday, April 25.
The family’s lawyer said: “His d£ath is entirely attributable to poor pool management and an outdated, non-compliant safety system. I won’t comment on the lifeguards’ competence, which is a secondary issue compared to a tragedy that should have been prevented.”