Australian boy intubated after near-drowning in Greek hotel swimming pool

Poolside rescue in Anavyssos

An emergency response unfolded at a seaside hotel in Anavyssos on Saturday, 12 September 2026, after a young Australian boy was recovered from a swimming pool. The child, reported as four years old across multiple Greek emergency services and five in an early account, was vacationing in the East Attica coastal town alongside his parents. Around midday, the boy slipped out of the sight of adult guardians and entered the water. The facility lifeguard noticed the child in distress, dived into the pool, and retrieved him from the water without delay. Bystanders alerted other hotel guests, prompting two physicians who were staying at the complex to join the lifeguard at the water's edge. The medical pair assisted with urgent cardiopulmonary resuscitation beside the pool while hotel staff contacted national emergency dispatchers.

Medical transport and intensive care

Emergency dispatchers directed a mobile unit from the National Centre for Emergency Care (EKAV) to the hotel grounds to take over resuscitation efforts. Paramedics stabilized the young boy before transporting him under priority status by road to the Agia Sofia Children's Hospital in Athens. Medical specialists at the pediatric hospital evaluated the patient's respiratory status upon arrival and placed him on mechanical ventilation inside the pediatric intensive care unit. Physicians characterized his condition as critical due to the volume of liquid drawn into his lungs. Medical union officials confirmed that while the patient did not sustain blunt mechanical injuries, severe respiratory distress resulted directly from inhaling pool water during the submersion.

Michalis Giannakos, president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Workers (POEDHN), detailed the child's medical condition:

He does not have physical injuries, but it is from water aspiration.

Chronology of emergency care

The rescue and subsequent medical evacuation developed rapidly across the afternoon of 12 September.

Early dispatches from emergency services noted that the boy suffered a cardiac arrest at the poolside before resuscitation restored cardiac activity. Hospital staff at Agia Sofia continued intensive medical interventions into Saturday evening to mitigate the physiological effects of acute water aspiration. The pediatric intensive care team placed the child under constant observation to monitor vital signs and oxygenation levels. Clinical teams kept the patient intubated while administering specialized treatments to protect lung function and stabilize organ systems following the near-drowning episode. Hospital personnel communicated regularly with the family to provide updates on the patient's critical condition.

Police inquiry and judicial review

Officers from the Hellenic Police were dispatched to the hotel premises in Anavyssos shortly after the ambulance left for the hospital. Police investigators examined the swimming pool area, interviewed hotel personnel, and collected statements from eyewitnesses present at the time of the rescue. The child's father and the on-duty lifeguard were accompanied to the Saronida Security Department to submit detailed depositions regarding parental oversight, poolside vigilance, and pool safety arrangements. Investigators gathered technical and logistical details regarding hotel operations to establish whether all safety standards were met. Judicial authorities received preliminary notifications regarding the case file, and a public prosecutor will examine the police findings to determine whether any individual should face charges or formal arrest.