Boy, 5, rushed to hospital as eight swimmers poisoned by chlorine fumes at pool in Rome

NewsWorld News A FIVE-YEAR-OLD boy is fighting for his life after eight swimmers were 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. A five-year-old boy is fighting for his life after eight swimmers were poisoned by chlorine fumes at a pool in Rome Credit: Vigili del Fuoco Four other children, aged between 10 and 15, were also treated after the incident Credit: Vigili del Fuoco Around 20 people were in the water when they began to feel terrifying symptoms. They included seven children under the age of 10. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! 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. Firefighters rushed to the scene around 3.30pm. All fifty people were evacuated from the busy pool as poisonous fumes seeped out. The boy was taken to Rome’s Sant’Andrea Hospital and the club was temporarily closed. Police also attended the scene. Most read in The Sun Investigators believe a leak caused the toxic chemical to poison swimmers. It comes after five children drowned in Italian pools in just three months as experts warn of “death trap” drains. An 11-year-old died last week after getting her hair got caught in a swimming pool drain. The young girl, named Alice, was on a family holiday in the beach town of Sestri Levante, Italy, when tragedy struck. She had travelled south from Milan for a sunny getaway with her mum. The duo were at the same beach resort on the tourist town’s Descalzo promenade that they had stayed at several years in a row. The horror incident happened in the indoor pool, where the water is cooler than the sea. Despite the shallow water, her hair got stuck in the pool’s drain. The force dragged Alice under water and was trapped. Onlookers desperately tried to pull her out but struggled to disentangle her hair from the drain. An ambulance rushed to the scene and paramedics attempted CPR. She was taken by helicopter to hospital in nearby Genoa and put in intensive care in critical condition. Tragically, she was pronounced dead in hospital. Police are investigating the death and attended the scene. Investigators are considering if swimming caps should be mandatory to swim in the shallow pool. Comment now