A 10-year-old special child died at a local swimming pool due to alleged negligence by a coach in Chennai. This tragic incident happened in Kolathur on August 4 in Kolathur around 3.30 pm.
The child, Keerthi Sabareeskar, was undergoing swimming lessons at the Blue Seal Swimming Training Center in Periyar Nagar, Kolathur. His parents, Rathinakumar and Rani, had enrolled him in swimming classes based on medical advice.
Rathinakumar, a native of Trichy who currently resides in Vinayakapuram, Chennai with his wife Rani and child Keerthi Sabareeskar. As usual, they took him to the swimming class. The child's father was working on his laptop in his car nearby, while Rani observed the lesson closely.
During the session, Rani noticed that her son was struggling and appeared to be drowning. She alerted the coach, who reportedly responded that the child would learn to swim if left alone and reassured her to remain calm.
Despite these reassurances, the situation worsened, and Keerthi was later found floating in the pool, unresponsive. Rani, panic-stricken, informed her husband, who immediately rushed to the pool.
They managed to pull Keerthi from the water and transported him to the nearest hospital, but doctors declared him dead upon arrival. Devastated, Rathinakumar and Rani returned to the private Swimming Training Center, seeking answers and expressing their sorrow.
The incident was reported to the Kolathur police, who investigated the case. Both Godwin, the owner of the swimming center, and Abhilash, the coach, were arrested following the police's investigation.
The Kolathur police have filed a case, and Keerthi's body has been sent to Kilpakkam Government Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
