Five people electrocuted in pool at water park in Turkey’s northwest

Five people electrocuted in pool at water park in Turkey’s northwest

SAKARYA

An ambulance waits near a pool in which five people were killed in Sakarya - AA photo.

Five people were electrocuted on June 23 at a water park in the northwestern province of Sakarya, including two teenagers and a 12-year-old child.

The three youngsters, Gökay Yıldırım, Nurullah Ünlütürk and Mert Kalıç, were caught up in an electrical current in the pool in Sakarya’s Akyazı province. The park’s 58-year-old manager, Mehmet Kaya, and his 30-year-old son, Kadir Kaya, were killed after they jumped into the pool to try to save the flailing children.

Employees at the water park later cut the power at the resort.

All five were rushed to the Akyazı State Hospital but could not be saved. Two other people were hurt after touching metal railings near the pool. The children who died were aged 12, 15 and 17.

Police officers are investigating what caused the incident. According to initial investigations, the park lacked a residual current breaker that shuts down power to prevent electrical shocks. 

Akyazı Mayor Hasan Akcan expressed his sadness over what happened, and said the park had received a license as a swimming pool and amusement center in 2012.