A two-year-old British toddler's death after falling from a fourth-floor window at the King Evelthon Beach Hotel and Resort in Chlorakas, Cyprus, marks the third fatality involving a UK tourist at the venue in four years. The incident has intensified scrutiny on local authorities and the hotel's safety measures, with victims' families criticizing the lack of thorough investigations into repeated tragedies.
The toddler fell on July 12 after his father, a 37-year-old City banker, reportedly placed him on a ledge while waiting for a lift. The father believed the window was shut, unaware that the clear glass sliding pane was open. He is now facing charges of causing death by a rash, reckless, or dangerous act. The family, who arrived from London the previous Sunday, is described as experiencing an "unimaginable nightmare," with the father held in detention for eight days before being charged. He has been barred from leaving the island, complicating his ability to support his wife and daughter and attend funeral arrangements.
Previous Fatalities and Safety Questions
This latest incident follows the drowning deaths of two other British tourists at the same hotel. Ben Woods, 21, drowned in the hotel's pool in July 2022 while playing volleyball. Witnesses reported lifeguards were distracted and the pool area was neglected. Ben's family pursued a local lawyer but were informed there would be no criminal process, with a judge ruling it a "straightforward drowning." In October 2023, six-year-old Ruaridh Nairne from Inverness drowned in the pool and later died at Paphos General Hospital.
According to reports, another woman also died while swimming at the resort in 2024. Families of previous victims have voiced frustration, suggesting that local authorities prioritize the island's tourism industry over proper investigation and accountability for the hotel.
Hotel's Response and Regulatory Differences
Despite these incidents, the King Evelthon Hotel maintains that all deaths have been fully investigated by police, who found no fault with the hotel's operations. Antonis Stivitanides, the hotel's general manager, stated that all lifeguards are fully qualified and that the hotel is fully licensed and compliant with all regulations, assuring that it is safe for visitors.
However, a British tribunal reportedly found last year that the resort lacked a license for its pool, a claim the hotel disputes. UK health and safety guidelines recommend that hotel windows large enough for children to fall through should restrict openings to 10cm or less. In Cyprus, the regulation only requires the window ledge to be at least 1.1 meters high, a standard the King Evelthon Hotel meets. Additional safety measures are at the discretion of the hotel's health and safety consultant, whose reports are not made public.
Eyewitnesses and a grandmother who checked in shortly after the toddler's death noted that the fourth-floor window remained open and unmonitored in the days following the tragedy, highlighting concerns about the hotel's immediate response to the incident and the lack of warning signs.
The families of victims have expressed dismay at the perceived lack of empathy from authorities and the contrasting treatment of the grieving father compared to the hotel, which faces repeated tragedies without public findings of fault. Cyprus Police and the Department of Labour Inspection were contacted for comment.