A seven-year-old boy drowned in a swimming pool at a water park in Olinda, Brazil, while his pregnant mother had gone to the toilet. Bryan Henrique de Souza de Barros was discovered unconscious and pulled from the water by a female visitor.
Incident at Olinda Via Park
The incident occurred on Saturday, 25 July, at Olinda Via Park. A firefighter on duty administered first aid before the boy was rushed to an urgent care unit, where he was pronounced dead.
Bryan's family claimed the pool appeared shallow but had depths exceeding 1.6 metres (5 feet 3 inches) in some areas. They alleged there were no signs indicating depth or restricting children's access.
Family's Grief and Investigation
Bryan's great-uncle, police commissioner José da Silva, told local press that the boy's parents and grandparents "are too distraught to speak at the moment." He added: "But we'll investigate, because someone was negligent."
Bryan's mother, Emilly, is nine weeks pregnant with her second child. José described Bryan as "a happy, lively little boy. He loved playing with all of us. We were a very close family."
Park Response and Funeral
Olinda Via Park announced it had indefinitely suspended operations, stating it remained in touch with Bryan's family to offer support and was fully cooperating with authorities investigating the incident. Bryan was laid to rest at Santo Amaro Cemetery in Recife on Sunday, 26 July.
José said: "My family is devastated, but I'm going to investigate so we can get some answers, because this can't just be left like this."
