Shocking moment girl, 13, is trapped underwater for TWO MINUTES as hair gets caught in pool filter
After a 13-year-old's long hair got caught in a swimming pool filter, she was dragged underwater for two minutes - heart-stopping moments that were captured on video and later posted on Instagram by her mother.
The incident took place in Agua Branca, Brazil, on Sunday, December 5, when the teen girl, identified as Maria Rita, was playing in a pool at her home. After a while, her hair got trapped and she was pulled under water. Chaos ensued as other youngsters in the water started drawing the attention of the adults to the mishap. Meanwhile, Rita was forced to hold her breath under the water for as long as possible, as she waited to be rescued. Soon the grown-ups present in the area tried to desperately save the teen.
READ MORE
Leisure center closed after swimming pool disappears overnight
Horrifying moment caught on CCTV
The horrifying moment was recorded by the poolside CCTV camera. At one moment, everything seemed fine as Maria, wearing a turquoise blue swim top, dangled her legs over the side and put her head underwater. Other kids swam around her unperturbed till she rolled backwards, and started splashing around in the water. One of the kids swimming near Rita got the attention of a man, believed to be her father, who was relaxing by the pool and pointed to her hair.
The man immdiately dived into the pool to try to help Rita as other members of her family went into panic mode - some scrambling around the house and others jumping into the pool. One of the family members rushed into the house to find a blade to cut her hair before she was pulled out of the water. Rita seemed unconscious after she was pulled out and her relatives immediately started performing CPR on her. Seconds later, her legs began to move as she slowly regained consciousness.
Rita's mother: 'She is my miracle'
Rita was taken to hospital for tests and was released hours later after being declared fine. Rita's mother, Rozana Pimentel, who released footage of the incident, said in an Instagram message: “I wouldn't wish the fear and desperation of knowing we could have lost her on anyone. I decided to share these images so people are made aware of the dangers of this type of apparatus. Teach your children to know where these suction pumps are and what dangers they can pose so no-one goes near them. Adults accompanying children should always watch over them at all times.”
While recalling the afternoon’s drama, she told local media: “She dived in and her hair got stuck. She thought someone had stepped on her hair and tried to surface but couldn't. That's when my daughter realized it was the filter pump. She kept calm, held her breath, and started kicking her leg so someone could see her. People jumped into the water and tried to free her hair, but couldn’t. Turning the electricity off in the house didn’t work either.”
She added: “For me as a mother, seeing her come out of the water unconscious, I see it as a miracle. We didn’t know anything about this pump, at least I didn’t. Now that I’ve started researching, I hope this information gets to more people, that everyone knows what a danger a pool can be. My daughter could have died.”
Rozana also shared a picture of her with her daughter as she hailed Maria's recovery. “She is my miracle," she wrote. "My daughter is fine now despite the scare we had on Sunday. I am a mother who is eternally grateful for this blessing in our lives.”
