A three-year-old British girl has died following a swimming pool accident during a family holiday in Mallorca. Eleri Ellesmere, from New Tredegar in Wales, was found unresponsive in a swimming pool at Villa Francisca on the Spanish island on the evening of June 24.
Her parents, Joe Ellesmere and Cerys Hemmings, administered CPR before she was taken to Son Espases Hospital in Palma de Mallorca. Despite medical efforts, Eleri died the following day. A provisional cause of death has been listed as mechanical asphyxiation by drowning and respiratory failure.
An inquest into Eleri's death is scheduled to open at Gwent Coroner's Court. "What should have been an idyllic family holiday has turned into every parent's worst nightmare," her mother, Ms. Hemmings, stated, describing the incident as an accident. "Our precious little Eleri Fairy was involved in an accident during the holiday."
Médical services and her parents worked tirelessly to save her. "Me and Joe were with her every single second and our little girl showed incomprehensible strength to try and stay with us. This was not enough," Ms. Hemmings said, adding that the family is "broken."
A fundraising page has been established by Eleri's family to help her parents cover funeral costs and provide them with time to grieve. The page states that Eleri "was deeply loved, and her loss has left an unimaginable emptiness in all of our lives."
The Foreign Office confirmed it is supporting Eleri's family and is in contact with local authorities. Villa Plus, the holiday lettings company for Villa Francisca, expressed profound sadness and offered condolences to the family, stating it would refrain from further comment out of respect for the ongoing inquest.