Boy, 5, drowned at holiday park just minutes after family went for dip in swimming pool, inquest told
A YOUNG boy drowned at a holiday park just minutes after his family went for a dip in the swimming pool, an inquest heard.
Robin Van Caliskan, five, was discovered face-down in the water at Atlantic Reach holiday park in Newquay, Cornwall.
His family had arrived at the resort for a family holiday on the day of the horror in July last year.
An inquest heard Robin’s parents Ferzane and Cemal took Robin and their baby son to the complex’s two swimming pools at 4.45pm.
The youngster, who was not a great swimmer, went in the main pool with dad Cemal before they joined the others in a baby pool.
Cornwall Coroner’s Court was told Ferzane then left her two children with their dad to swim in the deeper pool.
She returned around ten to 15 minutes later and realised Robin was not with either of them.
The youngster was found face down in the main pool by other holidaymakers who desperately battled to save him.
His parents only realised the stricken boy was Robin when they recognised his swimming trunks.
Emergency crews were scrambled to the park at around 5.06pm but Robin was declared dead less than an hour later.
Senior coroner for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Andrew Cox said a jury will have to determine “precisely who was supervising whom, whether lifeguards were on duty, was signage on display”.
He said they must also decide how long Robin was left unsupervised and answer questions around the lifeguard policy at the park.
The inquest heard the swimming pool complex had glass windows on three sides and there was some floodlighting.
There was a sign reading “no lifeguards on duty” in red letters and a warning that children aged under eight needed to be accompanied by parents or guardians, the court was told.
A post mortem carried out by paediatric pathologist concluded Robin died from drowning.
The inquest continues.