How Redeemed pastor, his 2 children drowned in a swimming pool in Spain

 

BY OUR EDITOR

Details have emerged of how a Redeemed Christian Church of God pastor and his two children got drowned in a swimming pool at a holiday resort in Spain.

Gabriel Diya, pastor at Open Heavens, a London branch of Redeemed Church with his 16-year-old son, Praise-Emmanuel drowned in the pool while trying to rescue his nine-year-old daughter, Comfort, who also died in the pool.

Pastor Diya’s widow, Olubunmi, an assistant pastor, who was not at the pool when the incident happened, prayed as effort to revive her husband and children after they were brought out of the pool went on.

The Costa Del Sol pool tragedy began when Comfort slipped into the deep end of the pool and her brother and father jumped in to save her at 2pm on Christmas Eve, according to the UK-based Daily Mail.

Comfort was said to have been playing in the pool with surviving sister, Favour, when she slipped and drifted towards the deep end, which was six-and-a-half-foot deep.

Earlier reports had alleged there may have been a problem with the pool’s pump system. It is one of several at Club La Costa World, near Fuengirola, but was little used as the water very cold and not heated.

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Francisco Gonzalez, a spokesman for the Civil Guard union AUGC, confirmed overnight: “The surviving sister has said they didn’t know how to swim.

“With that information and the fact we know the water in the pool was very cold, the mystery of what caused this awful tragedy begins to unravel itself.”

Comfort is said to have had some swimming lessons, but only in shallow water where she could touch the bottom of the pool.

Favour told police she saw her brother in difficulties as he tried to rescue his sister and went to look for a life buoy while their father began to strip off to jump in, Spanish newspaper Diario Sur reported.

The children’s mum Olubunmi, 49, was in the family’s holiday apartment at the time but is understood to have ratified Favour’s admission the drowning victims could not swim.

Police and a Fuengirola court coordinating the judicial investigation into the Christmas Eve tragedy have yet to officially rule out any anomalies with the pool and the Civil Guard was still insisting late yesterday the probe was ‘ongoing’.

But the family revelation about the drowning victims’ lack of swimming skills has taken the focus off the pool pump system.

Early speculation pointed to possible problems with the pool suction side of the circulation system.

Spanish media reports yesterday said Comfort’s swimming cap had been found in the suction system.

Police sources later confirmed it had been discovered in the pool drainage grid but insisted divers had not identified any problems that could have caused dangerous suction entrapment when they were in the water after the tragedy.

A subsequent Spanish media report said the swimming cap had been located in a pool skimmer basket where things like leaves or insects normally end up.

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On Wednesday night resort chiefs said the Civil Guard, the police force leading the investigation into the triple tragedy, had given them permission to reopen the pool which is one of several on the sprawling holiday complex but was being little used because it was not heated like some others.

Resort operator CLC World Resorts and Hotels put out a statement which said: “All at Club La Costa World resort are devastated by the tragedy that unfolded on Christmas Eve where a father and his two children were found unresponsive in a swimming pool and despite the best efforts of our first response team and the emergency services, could not be revived.

“The Guardia Civil have carried out a full investigation which found no concerns relating to the pool in question or procedures in place, which leaves us to believe this was a tragic accident which has left everyone surrounding the incident in shock.

“Naturally our primary concern remains the care and support of the remaining family members.

“We would therefore request that their privacy be respected at this traumatic time.”

The force insisted overnight it had never authorised the reopening of the pool because the resort operator was responsible for the holiday complex and the safety of its holidaymakers, and police had never closed it in the first place.

Autopsies performed at Malaga’s Institute of Forensic Medicine on Wednesday confirmed the cause of death of all three Brits was drowning.

Pathologists found no signs of any external injuries, or evidence they had been poisoned, during the examinations.

Medical experts have also found nothing pointing to Comfort’s sister suffering any chlorine poisoning in the pool, which is just over six-and-a-half feet deep at its deepest point and was not heated like others on the sprawling complex where they were staying.

The Redeemed pastor’s widow and surviving daughter, who are due to fly back to the UK later tomorrow after a week-long holiday, are currently being comforted by other relatives who flew to Spain from Britain after learning of the tragedy.

It is not yet clear whether they will delay their return or jet back home as scheduled.

A witness who helped perform CPR on the pastor and his two children recounted how his wife prayed and touched her loved ones’ bodies to try to will them back to life.

Josias Fletchman, from Manchester, said in a moving account: “The mum was praying for them to come back to life.

“She was calm. She was touching their bodies. She continued praying even after the ambulance people arrived and had stopped trying to revive them.

“She exercised her faith to the limit. I was performing CPR on her husband but I’m a believer and I prayed as well.

“She strengthened me in the way she reacted. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

The Redeemed Christian Church of God posted a tribute on Facebook on Thursday, regretting the sad development: “With heavy hearts, we extend our condolences to the family, parish, friends and associates of Area Pastor Gabriel Diya who sadly passed away, along with two of his children in a tragic accident while on a family holiday in Spain.

“At this very difficult time, our prayers are for Pastor Gabriel Diya’s family, the parishes that were under his supervision, friends, associates, members of RCCGs and the general public.”