Boy, 14, drowns during swim programme at Aquatic Centre
Joel Adams, a 14-year-old student of the Dennis Street Sophia Care Centre, lost his life in a drowning incident at the National Aquatic Centre in Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara (ECD) on Tuesday.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) said Adams had left the Care Centre with a group of children at around 13:30h to participate in a swim programme at the Aquatic Centre.
Khemwatti Dasrat, the caretaker of the group, recounted that she heard a whistle blow at approximately 14:55h, signalling the end of the swimming session, and saw the children beginning to exit the pool.
One of the swim coaches present at the scene reported that Adams performed a backflip into the pool just before the incident. A lifeguard immediately jumped into the pool to rescue him.
Despite the quick response, Adams was unresponsive when pulled out of the water. A nurse on standby at the Aquatic Centre provided immediate medical attention to the young boy.
An ambulance was called, and Adams was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Adams’s body is currently at the hospital’s mortuary awaiting a Post Mortem Examination (PME) to determine the exact cause of death.
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