Club la Costa Deaths-Spain-update:Police divers discover swimming cap of British girl who died with her father and brother in holiday pool

Police divers have discovered the swimming cap of the British girl who died with her father and brother in their Costa del Sol holiday pool, it emerged today.

The cap was found in the pool pump system by investigators trying to discover why a nine-year-old girl, her 16-year-old brother and their 52-year-old father drowned at the resort, Spanish media said. 

There is speculation in the British press that the family could have fallen victim to a suction problem which turned the pool into a death trap by making it impossible for the nine-year-old’s girl’s relatives to reach the surface after she got into difficulties. Reports say a resort worker who dived into the water to recover the three bodies has said he had also experienced difficulties reaching the surface and exiting the pool. 

But the exact circumstances of their deaths remained a mystery this morning as resort chiefs said they had been given permission to reopen the pool at the Club La Costa World complex near Fuengirola and insisted a police investigation had found ‘no concerns’ with it. 

Autopsies performed at Malaga’s Institute of Forensic Medicine have confirmed the girl, nine, her 16-year-old brother, and their 52-year-old father all drowned.  

Pathologists found no signs of any external injuries, or evidence they had been poisoned, during the examinations, medical experts also reported that the nine-year- old  had not  suffered any chlorine poisoning. 

Police said yesterday ahead of the autopsies that they were keeping an open mind and ‘all options’ were being examined.      

The pool is one of several on the sprawling holiday complex but was being little used because it was not heated like some others.

Resort operator CLC World Resorts and Hotels put out a statement which said:

         ‘All at Club La Costa World resort are devastated by the tragedy that unfolded on Christmas Eve where a father and his two children were found unresponsive in a swimming pool and despite the best efforts of our first response team and the emergency services, could not be revived.

‘The Guardia Civil have carried out a full investigation which found no concerns relating to the pool in question or procedures in place, which leaves us to believe this was a tragic accident which has left everyone surrounding the incident in shock.

‘Naturally our primary concern remains the care and support of the remaining family members.

‘We would therefore request that their privacy be respected at this traumatic time.’

They also confirmed the Civil Guard had authorised the reopening of the pool, indicating that police feel there is no risk to bathers of a repeat of the Christmas Eve horror.