An 11-year-old girl named Alice has died after her hair became trapped in the drain of an indoor swimming pool while on a family holiday in Sestri Levante, Italy. The incident, which took place at the Bagni Segesta beach resort on the town’s seafront, has prompted a police investigation and renewed scrutiny of pool safety standards across the country.
Alice had travelled south from Milan with her mother for a holiday at the resort along Sestri Levante’s Descalzo promenade, a destination the family had returned to for several consecutive summers. The incident occurred in the resort’s indoor pool, where the water is cooler than the sea, despite the pool being shallow. Her hair became caught in the pool’s drain, and the force of the suction pulled her underwater and held her trapped.
Desperate attempts to free her
Onlookers tried to pull Alice free but struggled to disentangle her hair from the drain. According to reports, the resort’s owner eventually jumped into the pool himself and used scissors to cut her hair in an effort to release her after bystanders were unable to pull her loose. Emergency crews performed CPR for around 45 minutes at the scene before she was airlifted by helicopter to Gaslini Children’s Hospital in Genoa. Reports suggest Alice briefly resumed breathing on her own during the flight to hospital, though doctors later confirmed her condition remained critical. She was placed in intensive care but could not be saved, and was pronounced dead in hospital.
Investigation under way
Police attended the scene, and the pool has since been seized by investigators as they examine its drainage system and assess whether the facility complied with safety regulations. The Carabinieri and Italian Coast Guard are leading the investigation, and have collected witness statements, CCTV footage and technical documentation relating to the pool. Investigators are examining whether the suction system was functioning correctly, whether recent maintenance and inspections had been carried out, and whether staff supervision met required safety standards. They are also looking into whether swimming caps were compulsory at the pool and, if so, whether that rule was being properly enforced. Authorities have confirmed they are preparing to send the first case file and evidence to prosecutors as the criminal investigation progresses.
Part of a wider pattern of concern
Alice’s death is the fifth involving a child in an Italian swimming pool in just three months, prompting experts to raise concerns over what they have described as “death trap” drains. In April, seven-year-old Gabriele Petrucci died after becoming trapped in a hotel swimming pool’s suction duct at a wellness retreat in Castelforte while celebrating his birthday. His father dived into the pool in a desperate attempt to save him, but Gabriele could not be revived. Italian media have also noted a further, non-fatal incident in the wider Liguria region a few months earlier, when a three-year-old German girl became trapped by a pool drain at a spa in Celle Ligure but was rescued and survived.
Government response
Italy’s Minister for Civil Protection, Nello Musumeci, addressed the pattern of incidents, calling for greater vigilance around children in swimming pools. “Strict discipline is needed, but also greater caution is needed in never leaving children alone in the water,” he said. “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.”
