The condition of seven-year-old Andrea, the child rescued unconscious yesterday from a pool at the Gallipoli Aquapark, has further deteriorated. His situation was immediately deemed desperate, leading to rumors within the hospital’s intensive care unit that he had died.
Hospital management subsequently denied this, confirming that while the child’s condition has worsened, he remains alive. Andrea, on vacation with his family originally from Lecce province but residing in La Spezia, Liguria, was involved in an incident at the park yesterday under unclear circumstances. The Lecce Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation, currently without suspects.
Andrea was found unconscious by his father in the deepest section of the park’s largest pool. Lifeguards pulled him out, and emergency medical personnel performed prolonged resuscitation. They succeeded in restoring his heartbeat, but the boy had evidently been without oxygen for too long. He remains in intensive care at Gallipoli’s Sacro Cuore Hospital.
Reconstructing the incident is difficult due to a lack of surveillance cameras. Police are gathering witness accounts from others at the pool, but no clear picture has emerged. It is known Andrea was not wearing arm floats and was not a strong swimmer. Some witnesses reported seeing him playing with other children shortly before the incident. How he ended up in the deep pool is unknown; no witnesses reported seeing him in distress or calling for help.
Based on preliminary accounts, cautious hypotheses include: the child slipping parental supervision and accidentally entering deep water; falling ill while in the water, preventing him from calling out; or attempting a breath-holding challenge beyond his capabilities. All possibilities remain unverified at this time.