By Rita Enemuru, Reporting
A 24-year-old youth, one Tare Emmanuel Kinkin on Tuesday, drowned while swimming inside a swimming Pool allegedly owned by Wellington Hotel Limited in Effurun, Delta State.
The deceased, an indigene of Opuoma community in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State was said to have gone to Welliston Hotel to cool off in the swimming pool when the ugly incident happened.
It was gathered that Welliston Hotel, a subsidiary of Wellington Hotel Limited in Effurun operates a commercial swimming pool that is opened to the general public.
Following the incident, the family of the deceased has however, blamed the death of Tare Kinkin on negligence of the pool management.
One Mr. Fred Atejere in a statement signed on behalf of the family, copies of which were made available to journalists in Warri on Thursday blamed the untimely death of their son on alleged negligence of the swimming pool attendants who were said to be “absent even after the deceased, Tare Kinkin, registered to swim in the facility”.
The statement partly reads, “This is to inform you all that our brother Godwin Kinkin just lost his son, Tare Emmanuel Kinkin inside a swimming pool at Williston Hotel, Effurun Delta State”.
The agonized father, Mr. Godwin Kinkin, stated that his “son’s body that was suspected to be lifeless was rushed to the Nigeria Navy Hospital and the doctor said he was brought in dead”.
Also commenting, Pastor Clifford Atijere who went to Ebrumede police station to report the incident said that “the hotel management claimed that Tare Kinkin did not die in the swimming pool, even when a staff of the facility brought out a lifeless body from the swimming pool”.
Meanwhile, the maternal uncle to the deceased, Rev. Benson Ekpen told journalists that the body had been deposited in the mortuary at the Navy Hospital.
When contacted for comments on the incident, the police public relations officer (PPRO) for Delta State Command, DSP Bright Edafe, said the family should reach out to him through phone call.
But the Hotel management declined comments despite several attempts to have them speak on the incident.
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