Vacationing Teen Drowns in Dirty Hotel Swimming Pool
Vadim Liberman September 05, 2014
A teenager died in a “murky” pool “littered with rubbish” at a hotel that allegedly operated without a license.
Savvakis Alexandros Georgiou’s recent family vacation ended tragically. The 18-year-old U.K. resident of Hertfordshire apparently fell into the pool of the Kalypso Hotel in the party town of Ayia Napa, Cyprus, during the early morning of August 18. Hours supposedly ticked by before others in the pool discovered his body, according to the Daily Mail.
Reports indicate that the pool was infested with algae, syringes, condoms and cigarette butts, all of which may have obscured Georgiou’s body. According to the teen’s aunt, Angela Soteriou, an independent forensic coroner said that the swimming pool was “murky and littered with rubbish.” Soteriou further stated, “The water was filthy. No one could see him because no one could see the bottom of the pool. We believe that had the pool been clean he may have been seen earlier.”
Georgiou’s family had originally booked accommodations at the nearby Fedra Hotel, but when told upon arrival that the hotel was fully occupied, the family was set up at the 194-room Kalypso, a sister property that may have been operating without a license. The Kalypso also ranks 100th out of 104 Cyprus hotels listed on TripAdvisor, where most reviewers gave it the lowest review possible, “terrible.” The Fedra Hotel came in 98th place.
Authorities continue to investigate the death.
[Photo: TripAdvisor / Facebook]
I'm sorry for the loss, but what on earth has this got to do with aviation?
Let's all show a little compassion! This is someone's son, sibling, friend. A lot of us have had a few drinks while hanging out in the pool and while we should take it as a reminder to practice precaution, the fact that he was drinking shouldn't take away from the fact that a boy's life was lost too soon.
Here's what doesn't make sense. The pool was “murky and littered with rubbish," including "algae, syringes, condoms and cigarette butts." So why were there "20 swimmers" in the pool?
I'm not sure where the author got his information from, but I live in Cyprus not far from where this unfortunate incident took place and I can say that some of the information presented in this article is not consistent with what has been reported in the local newspapers, particularly the condition of the swimming pool. News in Cyprus never reported anything about the young man being in the company of anyone (not even 20 other swimmers) when the incident occurred. While I am saddened by the death of this young man, I do wonder if the information presented in this article is correct.
Three of the five lead points in the referenced newspaper article: -- The Hertfordshire teen fell into a hotel swimming pool, where he drowned. -- It's believed the pool was too murky for anyone to have spotted him. -- It was reportedly covered in cigarette butts, condoms and algae.