Photo/Illutration Kochi City Board of Education officials apologize for the accident on July 5. (Ryutaro Kameoka)

KOCHI--A boy from a municipal-run elementary school here drowned during swimming practice in a pool normally used by students at a junior high school.

Authorities said the pool was more than 10 centimeters deeper than the one the pupil was used to. The pool at the elementary school was out of order at the time.

Officials said the child, a poor swimmer, was discovered unconscious when pulled from the water and taken to a hospital for emergency treatment.

The Kochi City Board of Education announced early July 6 that the boy, a fourth grader at Nagahama Elementary School, died from drowning around 11 a.m. the previous day.

A classmate discovered the boy unresponsive in the water and pulled him out, informing the teacher.

According to the city board of education, the pool at the elementary school that the children attended has a maximum depth of 119 cm, but it was out of use on July 5 due to a malfunction in the filtration system.

As a result, the swimming lesson was switched to the junior high school pool, which has a maximum depth of 132.5 cm. The depth of water where the boy was found was approximately 130 cm.

 

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