British woman dies in pool tragedy

A British holidaymaker tragically died in Majorca yesterday. Thirty-year-old Maura Lisa O'Neill drowned in a swimming pool at a block of apartments in Santanyi. O'Neill was mid way through her holiday on the island and the Guardia Civil yesterday opened a full inquiry into her death. Apparently, O'Neill and the group of friends she is on holiday with, had been out on Friday night and, according to sources close to the investigation, did not get back to their apartment until around 5am yesterday morning. On arrival back at the block, two of the group went to bed while the rest of the group crashed out on the sun loungers in the apartment block garden. At this early stage of the investigation, it appears that O'Neill plunged into the pool and drowned. Tragically, the rest of her friends asleep on the sun loungers, did not apparently realise what had happened until they woke at around 11am to see O'Neill's body floating in the pool. They immediately raised the alarm and units the Guardia Civil, Local Police and 061 emergency service were at the scene within minutes. Sadly there was nothing the paramedics could do to save the holidaymaker's life - she had been dead for between two and three hours. An autopsy was expected to have been either carried out last night or early this morning and the Guardia Civil hope that the results will help establish the cause of death. The group of friends on holiday with O'Neill could not believe what had happened yesterday and all were treated by local medical staff and employees at the apartment block for shock. They were all severely overwhelmed by the tragedy. O'Neill is the third person to have drowned in a swimming pool in Majorca this year. Just last month a five-year-old Scottish boy drowned in a swimming pool after he slipped away from his grandmother during a welcome meeting at their hotel and either fell or jumped into the pool. The health and safety inspectors ruled that the death was a tragic accident as there was a sign which stated that children under the age of six were not allowed to use the pool without adult supervision. The complex's life guard, not required to patrol the small swimming pool where the toddle died as it is under 50 metres, was on duty at the larger pool. The toddler was due to have been joined by his parents the day after his death.