At least 60 tourists rushed to hospital with toxic gas poisoning after swimming pool pump leak at Costa del Sol hotel

AT least 60 holidaymakers have been rushed to hospital with toxic gas poisoning after a pump broke at a Costa del Sol hotel swimming pool. Brits were among tourists affected and had to receive medical attention at the unnamed hotel in Benahavis, near Marbella, following the leak. At least 60 tourists were hospitalised after a toxic gas leak at a Marbella hotel swimming pool Credit: Solarpix Children and elderly holidaymakers from the UK were among those affected in the leak Credit: Solarpix The system failed when a circuit breaker on the pump that injects chlorine and acid into the pool appeared to trip, according to a regional government official. He added that the chlorine and PH systems stopped working as a result of the fault while other gases continued to be released, poisoning swimmers. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Children and elderly people were among those hospitalised while the pool was closed and sealed off for “maintenance reasons”. Tests were seen being carried out by scientists from a local lab in the Malaga TechPark, around a 45-minute drive from Marbella. As well as swimming pool and drinking water analysis, the firm also specialises in testing foods for E.coli and Salmonella. An investigation into the leak is ongoing and it was not immediately clear if the pool would be reopened today. It comes just a day after a five-year-old boy was left fighting for his life after eight swimmers were by poisoned by chlorine fumes at a pool in Rome. Four other children, aged between 10 and 15, were also treated after the incident in the Italian capital. Most read in The Sun Around 20 people were in the water when they began to feel terrifying symptoms. They included seven children under the age of 10. They suffered intense burning in the eyes and throat, coughing, and shortness of breath. The poisoning took place at a sports club in Mentana, on the outskirts of Rome. All fifty people were evacuated from the busy pool as poisonous fumes seeped out. The boy was taken to Rome’s Sant’Andrea Hospital while the club was temporarily closed. A major chlorine leak at the Sea Club Hotel in Majorca in July 2022 left more than 20 people including children poisoned. A number of holidaymakers are said to have suffered symptoms including vomiting, skin irritation, and itching. Health workers administered oxygen to some of those affected in the hotel’s garden area. Pool-related poisonings occur when chlorine concentrations and the pH are not kept at the proper levels. That leads to the formation of toxic substances that cause eye irritation, respiratory problems and gastrointestinal disorders. Comment now