3 Arizona Children Drown In Swimming Pool With No Safety Fence; 2 Dead, 1 Rescued

Two young children died after drowning in the swimming pool of a home in Arizona over the weekend. A 1-year-old child, who also drowned in the pool, was safely pulled out of the water by rescue personnel.

Officers from the Buckeye Police Department and Fire Department arrived at a residence on W Hess Ave. Miller and Broadway roads Saturday after receiving reports about three unresponsive children. They pulled the children – aged one, two and three years – out of the swimming pool and performed life-saving measures. The 1-year-old was crying but was breathing on his own, while the other two remained unconscious, said Buckeye Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Zachary Astrup.

The 2-year-old and 3-year-old children were airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. However, they died later at the facility. The 1-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital and was in stable condition. The toddler is expected to be released from the hospital soon, reported AZ Central.

An adult male was at home when the incident happened, police said, adding that the swimming pool did not have a safety fence around it.

"Our hearts go out to the family who have lost two children. Despite the life-saving efforts of the first responders and the hospital staff, the two and three year olds have passed. The investigation continues into the circumstances surrounding this tragedy," the Buckeye Police Department tweeted Monday.

Police said the three children were related but did not reveal their exact relation. It is unclear how the children ended up in the pool.

"The kids were found in the pool. We're not sure how they got out of the house," said Buckeye Fire Chief Tommy Taylor, reported KSAZ-TV. "There was no fence around the pool. I believe there was a lock but it was not working properly."

The officer urged parents to be cautious.

"The best thing to tell people – barriers alone won't keep kids from the pool so you know a watchful eye is always the best thing," he said.

In a similar incident last month, a 4-year-old girl in China's southern Guangdong province drowned in an indoor swimming pool while in the presence of two adults. A surveillance video of the incident showed the child drowning after her inflatable rubber ring flipped over.