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An 11-year-old girl, Alice Ferrari, tragically lost her life after her hair became caught in the suction outlet of a swimming pool in Italy.
Alice, recognized as a promising young equestrian talent, was on vacation with her family in Sestri Levante when the fatal incident occurred on Wednesday, July 15. Witnesses reported seeing her dive into the public pool but never resurface.
Another child raised the alarm, prompting the pool’s co-manager, Daniele Muzio, to jump into the water. He had to use scissors to free Alice’s hair from the pool’s filtration system intake.
Despite being pulled from the roughly three-foot-deep pool unconscious, Alice was given CPR for 45 minutes before being transported to a hospital in Genoa in critical condition. Sadly, she passed away two days later, on Friday, July 17.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine whether safety regulations were followed, including the rule requiring children under 12 to be accompanied by an adult in swimming pools. Preliminary findings indicate the pool may have lacked the mandatory signage informing visitors of this regulation.
Both Muzio and his mother, Anna Copello, who co-manages the Bagni Segesta pool, are reportedly under investigation in connection with the incident. Regional investigators from the Coast Guard and Carabinieri are also examining whether the suction pump was missing a protective grid or if the system’s power settings were improperly adjusted.
In response to the tragedy, Italy’s Minister for Civil Protection, Nello Musumeci, highlighted that five minors have died in Italian pools within a short three-month period.
Alice’s parents, Carolina Bernardi and Alessandro Ferrari, have not issued a public statement and remain in private mourning with their two younger children. They have chosen to donate Alice’s organs, with the procedure planned following a post-mortem examination scheduled for July 21.