BENGALURU: Two foreign nationals, one German and one Slovak, died after suspected electrocution in the swimming pool of the Conrad Hotel in Bengaluru on Friday evening. Two others were injured while trying to save them.
The incident happened at the pool on the third floor of the hotel in Ulsoor. The two men had reportedly gone for a swim when it happened.
The dead have been identified as Alexander Maximilian Theiss, 57, a German national and crew member with Lufthansa Airlines, and Juraj Horvat, 45, a Slovak national who worked as a project manager with IBM. Both were staying at the hotel.
Two people were hurt in the rescue attempt: Mathew Desantis, 41, an American guest at the hotel, and Rahul Tiwari, 28, an Indian pool attendant and lifeguard employed there.
Hospital confirms cause of death
All four were rushed to Manipal Hospital. Dr Mabel Vasnaik, head of Emergency Medicine at the hospital, said Theiss was brought dead. Doctors tried to revive Horvat but could not, and he was later declared dead as well.
“The cause of death was electrocution,” Dr Vasnaik said.
According to reports, Desantis felt an electric current while swimming and managed to swim back to safety. Tiwari then jumped into the water to help the other two men.
Both survivors are out of danger. Dr Vasnaik said Desantis had a headache on Friday but was stable by Saturday and was likely to be discharged by evening. Tiwari, she said, is also stable but reported some pain, so doctors planned X-rays to rule out fractures before discharging him the same day.
Police probe under way
Police have registered a case and started an investigation to find out exactly what happened. It is not yet clear what caused the current in the water.
The hotel management has not commented so far. On Saturday morning, the hotel’s website said the swimming pool would be closed for maintenance from October 31 to November 30.
Conrad is a 24-storey luxury hotel that is part of the Hilton group. A standard room costs at least Rs 25,000 per night. The deaths have raised serious questions about possible negligence on the part of the hotel.
What is still unknown
Investigators have not said whether the problem was faulty wiring, a malfunctioning pool light or pump, or something else. Police are also yet to say who could be held responsible. Those answers will likely depend on electrical inspections of the pool and the statements of hotel staff and witnesses.
