A six-year-old British boy has died in hospital after a near-drowning at a hotel pool while on a family holiday in Majorca.
Corey Aughey from north Belfast was rushed to hospital in a ‘critical’ state from the three-star hotel in the resort of Sa Coma on Thursday after being revived at the poolside by emergency responders.
The boy, who was on the first day of his Spanish family holiday when he was found in the pool, lost his fight for life three days later on Sunday at Son Espases Hospital in the island capital Palma.
Unconfirmed local reports said the boy’s parents had lost sight of him for several minutes before he was spotted in the water.
Emergency responders are understood to have revived him after performing CPR on him for nearly half an hour before he was rushed from the scene.
Darci Aughey, Corey’s older sister, posted on Facebook: ‘You always were the most gorgeous person in the world and now you’re the most gorgeous sunset and brightest star in the sky.’
It had initially been thought the pool incident occurred on Sunday, but well-placed sources confirmed the youngster had been in a hospital intensive care unit for three days until his death.
Civil Guard officers rushed to the scene along with local police but another force – Spain’s National Police – will now be asked to carry out an investigation into what happened.
Corey Aughey from north Belfast, was on the rushed to hospital in a ‘critical’ state from the four-star hotel in the resort of Sa Coma on Thursday after being revived at the poolside by emergency responders
A spokesman for the National Police in Palma said they were still awaiting more details and could not comment at this stage.
One hospital source said: ‘He was admitted to intensive care on Thursday in a critical condition but sadly failed to pull through and died in hospital on Sunday.’
The hotel where Corey had been staying with his family was the three-star Globales Bouganvilla Aparthotel in Sa Coma.
It is a 15-minute walk from the beach and has more than 250 studios with 295 one-bed apartments and 66 two-bed apartments.
Travel sites state live shows take place every evening at the poolside bar. The hotel said today it was still gathering information on what had happened and was not yet in a position to make a formal comment.
The hotel is found around a 20-minute drive from the Love Island villa close to Sant Llorenc des Cardassar.
Corey Aughey (pictured) lost his fight for life on Sunday at Son Espases Hospital in the island capital Palma – three days after almost drowning and being rushed to hospital
The hotel where Corey had been staying with his family was the three-star Globales Bouganvilla Aparthotel in Sa Coma (pictured)
The youngster drowned on Sunday afternoon in the pool at the unnamed hotel in the resort of Sa Coma (pictured,file photo). He was on holiday with his family at the hotel, around a 20-minute drive from the Love Island villa close to Sant Llorenc des Cardassar
Well-wisher Gary Larkham wrote alongside a photo of Corey waiting to blow out the candle on a birthday cake: ‘They say a picture tells a thousand words, this picture to me was Corey all over always loved a birthday party and couldn’t wait to blow the candles out and patiently waited on his turn to blow them out too.
‘Such a cruel world we live in. Thinking of my good friends Leanne Aughey Colin, Jay Darci and Joel at this devastating time.’
In another tribute to her younger brother, Darci wrote: ‘You’ll be the funniest and happiest angel, you’ll be the prettiest sunset and brightest star in the sky can’t thank you enough for the best 6 years of my life rest easy ya nut gbnf (gone but not forgotten)’, while posting a series of pictures of Corey.
A relative confirmed the youngster was just hours into his holiday and said he had fallen into the pool.
Family friend Christine Heaney had posted an emotional message on Facebook hours before Corey’s death yesterday/on Sunday when the Rangers fan was still fighting for life.
She wrote: ‘Please Please pray for our Corey, he’s only six years old and is currently in intensive care in Spain after drowning in pool.
‘We need all the help and prayers we can get. He’s the most fun loving boy in the world. Everyone who knows and loves him are devastated so please keep him in your prayers.
‘To Leanne Aughey, Colin, Jay Aughey and Darci Aughey I love u all, and wish I could be with yous. Come on Corey fight ur hardest fight wee man, we all love u so much.’
By Monday, a fundraiser set up while Corey was in hospital had raised almost £12,000. ‘Please keep praying for the family to get the strength to get through the next couple of weeks,’ a post on the page said.
The UK Foreign Office told the BBC it was ‘supporting the family of a British child who has died in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities’.
‘Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time,’ a spokesman said.
The tragedy comes after a British toddler drowned last month in a swimming pool accident on the Costa Blanca.
Freddie Joseph Briggs died in the pool at his parents’ home in the village of Aigues near Benidorm on May 25, leading the local council to declare three days of mourning.
The child’s father Marc Briggs, known to friends as Briggsy and thought to be from Mansfield, Notts, and Belfast-born mother Jane Mohan had moved to the Costa Blanca shortly before the tragedy.
Tributes were paid to the 19-month-old boy at his funeral service, held at a church in Belfast where he was christened before he was buried at a nearby cemetery.
Father Thomas McGlynn told mourners at the service the youngster brought happiness to those around him and enjoyed his short life ‘to the very full.’
It was reported at the time that a routine police investigation is ongoing.
The tragedy comes on the back of two others in the area involving British nationals.
Expat Ingrid Dale, 67, originally from Dereham in Norfolk, died after being stung by a wasp in a Costa Blanca restaurant on May 9.
She is said to have gone into anaphylactic shock in front of pals at the bar in the coastal town of Moraira half an hour north of Benidorm.
She died in an ambulance outside the Hill Top Sports Bar & Grill after going into cardiac arrest before she could be taken to hospital.
Friends and well-wishers spoke of their heartbreak over widowed Ingrid’s freak death as it emerged she was at a lunch to help raise funds for Ukrainian families when the tragedy occurred.
Later the same day a British man drowned in a nearby river which had claimed the lives of three other people in the past month as he tried to save his dog.
Former Royal Navy sailor Paul Lebihan, originally from Gateshead, died after getting into difficulties in the river at a beauty spot a short drive from the Costa Blanca resort of Benidorm.
Friends and loved ones later paid tribute to the 24-year-old keen amateur boxer and set up a GoFundMe appeal which has already raised around half its £15,000 goal to help his family bring Paul’s body home and assist with funeral costs.
