Nine-year-old Comfort Diya got into trouble at the Club La Costa World resort pool (Image: AP)
A British dad and his two children drowned in a hotel swimming pool on Christmas Eve while on holiday in Spain, an inquest has heard.
When nine-year-old Comfort Diya got into trouble at the Club La Costa World resort pool, her dad Gabriel, 52, and his son Praise-Emmanuel, 16, jumped in to help.
But all three drowned on 24 December 2019 despite receiving CPR at the scene of the tragedy.
Comfort was said to have ‘gotten into difficulty’ in the two-metre-deep pool, prompting sibling Favour Diya, who was 14 at the time, to throw her a lifebuoy.
Gabriel, a church minister, and schoolboy Praise-Emmanuel, then jumped in to rescue Comfort, but also found themselves struggling in the water.
Reports from witnesses on the scene said that the bodies of the three family members ended up at the bottom of the pool and it was difficult to get them out.
Croydon Coroner’s Court heard that ‘all three members of the family died within minutes of each other’, with the tragedy witnessed by surviving sister Favour and mum Olubumni Diya, then 49.
Coroner John Taylor said: “There are slightly conflicting versions about what happened at the critical moment on 24 December 2019.
“Some say that Comfort was in the pool and got into difficulty; some say she had difficulty getting out of the pool.
“There is no dispute that a lifebuoy was thrown to her, and no dispute that her brother and father jumped in to help her.
“They then succumbed to the water, and all three met their death by drowning.”
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Mr Taylor added however that the reasons behind the tragedy remain ‘unclear’ – due to both ‘uncertainties’ around the family’s swimming abilities and ‘questions’ around the operation of the pool.
He said: “Mrs Diya was not able to categorically say that any of the three deceased could swim.
“She said she assumed her husband could swim because he had told stories of swimming in lakes in Nigeria and said the children were taking swimming lessons at the resort.
“But there was no proof of them being able to swim independently.”
The court also heard about investigations into the pool at Club La Costa World, located about 20 miles from Málaga.
Mrs Diya previously said she believed there was a fault with the pool.
Mr Taylor then read aloud an email exchange from 15 January 2020 between Mrs Diya and an investigative reporter from ITN.
“The reporter wrote: ‘Following my trip to the site, I firmly believe that the owners and the police in Spain are involved in a cover-up.
“Upon arrival, I was asked for permission to inspect the site, but the owner procrastinated and failed to give an answer.
“As the area was public, I then walked around the pool, filmed by ITN camera crew.’”
Mr Taylor continued: “The investigative reporter raised concerns about the pool’s output system, water level, and skimmers.
“He said: ‘I believe this would have created a tremendous suction which the nine-year-old became entrapped in.
“Her 16-year-old brother and father then also became entrapped when they bravely tried to save her.’”
But Mr Taylor told the court: “He has drawn this conclusion without seeing firsthand evidence.”
Croydon Coroner’s Court also heard that Spanish authorities had sent documents in 2019 which stated that the operation of the pool’s motor was being investigated and tests were being carried out on the water.
“But in the last four years since the deaths, we have had no information about the outcome of the investigations,” Mr Taylor said.
“I am not aware if any of these tests have been carried out or if results have been offered.
“There is therefore very little information about what happened.”
At the time of the tragedy, management at the Club La Costa World resort denied any negligence and insisted there was ‘no problem’ with the pool.
Offering his conclusion, Mr Taylor ruled that all three family members had died from ‘asphyxia due to drowning’.
“I understand there have been concerns raised about the pool’s water levels, and possible suction created by the skimmers being turned off – but I do not have enough evidence to determine that this was the case,” he said.
“I have been able to rule out the possibility of any heart problems, and I am therefore left to conclude that each of the deceased drowned through the difficulties which they respectively encountered on 24 December 2019.
“Comfort was in the pool at the hotel where she was staying with her family when she got into difficulties.
“Her father and brother jumped in to help her but were unable to save her from drowning.
“Gabriel and Praise-Emmanuel saw Comfort in difficulty in the pool and jumped in to help her, but then themselves got into difficulty and drowned.
“There is uncertainty about the swimming capabilities of these three people.
“It seems clear they were not accomplished swimmers and there were references to not being able to swim – but I cannot confirm this for sure.
“In relation to the deaths then, I am confident in ruling that each death was an accidental death.”
Mr Taylor added that if any further evidence comes to light, the family will be able to seek a fresh inquest.
“But it seems to me unlikely after this long period that there will be any further investigation or results,” he said.
He then offered his condolences to Mrs Diya and Favour, who had decided not to attend the inquest.
“This must be a terrible tragedy for the family, who were on holiday in Spain in the week leading up to Christmas,” he said.
“In the absence of Mrs Diya, I hope she has managed to come to terms with her grief and carry on with her life.
“I hope she will have happy memories of the time she did have with her husband and the two children she has lost through this terrible accident.”
Gabriel Diya was a Christian minister based in south-east London.
