Girl, 6, trapped in Costa del Sol pool for two hours

A SIX-YEAR-OLD girl was left trapped for two hours after she got her arm trapped in a swimming pool pump pipe on the Costa del Sol. 

Zara Clarkson had her arm trapped in a water inlet and had to keep her head above water while firefighters in the resort town of Estepona smashed through the pool’s concrete wall to free her. 

Her father Zack held her and stayed ‘cheek to cheek’ with her as he kept her calm while the rescue work continued. 

Zack and Zara were enjoying their first family holiday together at the villa with mum Claire, 42 and Zaras’s twin sister Lucy after buying the property at Christmas. 

After lowering the water level and cutting through the concrete, Zara was freed with her arm still stuck in the pipe. This was then cut off by firefighters. 

Local reports say the pool pump was switched off at the time, although a neighbour quoted in the UK press disputes this. 

Zara was initially said to be unharmed, but she has been in hospital for observation after her arm swelled up, it has been reported. 

The incident comes two months after a similar incident in Mallorca where a three-year-old Swedish boy was trapped in a swimming pool for three hours when his arm got stuck in a pipe.  

Firefighters, Local Police, Guardia Civil and medics were called to a hotel in the Platja de Muro area of Mallorca to rescue the child.  

The firefighters had to dig through concrete to reach the pipe and cut it to free the boy. For 180 minutes he remained in his mother’s arms until he was finally released to a standing ovation from onlookers.