An 11-year-old British girl has died after being pulled unconscious from a children’s swimming pool at a holiday resort in Fuerteventura, Spanish authorities have confirmed. The child was discovered in just 30 centimetres of water at a hotel in Morro Jable, Pájara, on Wednesday afternoon, sparking questions about how she came to be in difficulty in such shallow conditions.
Emergency services rushed to the scene after the alarm was raised at approximately 1.30pm on Thursday, with an on-duty lifeguard performing resuscitation before paramedics arrived. The girl was initially taken to Fuerteventura Hospital before being airlifted to the Maternal and Child University Hospital in Gran Canaria due to the severity of her condition.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard confirmed the tragic outcome: “An 11-year-old British girl was taken to Fuerteventura Hospital on Thursday afternoon from a hotel in Morro Jable on the island’s south coast before being airlifted to the Maternal and Child University Hospital in Gran Canaria.
The officer added: “The alarm was raised around 1pm on Thursday and the youngster had gone into cardiac arrest.”
Despite the efforts of medical teams at the Las Palmas hospital, the child died on Friday. Authorities initially reported the victim was five years old but later corrected this to confirm she was 11.
“The pool she was in was a small children’s pool which was only 30 centimetres deep,” the Civil Guard spokesman explained. The autopsy will help determine whether she suffered some sort of indisposition or health problem which might explain why she got into difficulties in such shallow water.
The girl had been holidaying with her family from England at the unnamed resort when the tragedy occurred. Spanish police are not revealing the identity of the hotel where the incident took place.
She died in the hospital in Las Palmas yesterday,” the spokesman confirmed. “We are not naming the hotel where this happened.”
Water safety organisation Canarias 1,500 kilómetros de Costa reported the death, expressing condolences to the family. The girl who suffered a critical drowning episode in the pool of a hotel in Morro Jable died today,” the group stated.
“The little girl was spending her vacation on the island of Fuerteventura with her family, originally from England. It was around 1.30am when the unconscious girl was pulled from the pool.”
The organisation detailed the emergency response: “Lifeguards performed CPR. The medical personnel from a SUC ambulance then continued providing care. Due to the seriousness of the case, she was urgently evacuated by medical helicopter to the Materno Infantil University Hospital.”
Despite the efforts of the medical team, the little girl was unable to overcome the dramatic event that took her life,” they added. “We would like to express our condolences and solidarity to her family. Please take care of and supervise your children in the water. A terrible and difficult episode, once again.”
The tragedy comes as Spain faces what water safety experts are calling a “catastrophic” summer for drownings. According to the Spanish Royal Federation of Lifesaving and Rescue (RFESS), 209 people died from drowning in Spain during May, June and July 2025, making it the worst year for such fatalities in the past decade.
Ninety-two drowning deaths occurred in July alone, prompting urgent calls for enhanced safety measures. The federation has been collecting drowning statistics since 2016, and this year’s figures represent an alarming peak.
RFESS president Samuel Gómez Mayor issued a stark warning about the crisis: “We are experiencing a catastrophic summer, which confirms that water does not take vacations.
“We need to act immediately and expand the presence of trained lifeguards beyond the high season and also protect inland natural environments,” Gómez Mayor emphasised.
The unusual circumstances of this latest tragedy, involving such shallow water, have raised particular concerns among safety experts. Drowning can occur in as little as two inches of water, particularly among young children who may lack the reflex to move their heads sideways or push themselves upward if they fall.
Medical experts note that children can experience sudden medical episodes, including seizures or cardiac events, that may cause them to lose consciousness even in minimal water depths. The pending autopsy is expected to provide crucial information about whether underlying health factors contributed to this incident.
Morro Jable, located on Fuerteventura’s southern coast, is a popular destination for British families, featuring numerous resort hotels with swimming facilities. The area attracts thousands of UK tourists annually, drawn by year-round sunshine and family-friendly amenities.
The incident highlights ongoing concerns about pool safety supervision, even in shallow water areas designed for children. Safety advocates stress that constant adult supervision is essential regardless of water depth, as drowning can occur silently and within seconds.
Spain’s drowning statistics for 2025 show the Canary Islands have recorded the highest number of deaths nationally, with at least 27 drownings in the first five months of the year. The archipelago’s popularity as a tourist destination, combined with extensive coastlines and numerous swimming facilities, creates particular challenges for water safety.
The tragedy serves as a devastating reminder that drowning remains the leading cause of death for children aged one to four globally, with the risk extending to older children in certain circumstances. Even in supervised environments with trained lifeguards present, the speed at which drowning can occur makes prevention challenging.
Spanish authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death, with the post-mortem examination expected to provide answers about how she came to be in difficulty in such shallow water. The family has not been named, and consular officials are providing support during this difficult time.
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Image Credit (Shortened):
Lifeguard tower on Morro Jable Beach, Fuerteventura – by Dietmar Rabich, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
