Two individuals have died and two others were injured following an incident involving suspected electrocution in the swimming pool of a luxury hotel in Bengaluru, India. The deceased have been identified as Alexander Maximilian Theiss, a 57-year-old German national and Lufthansa flight crew member, and Juraj Horvat, a 45-year-old Slovak business manager working for IBM.
The incident occurred on Saturday at the Conrad Bengaluru Hotel, a five-star establishment. Rahul Tiwari, a 28-year-old pool attendant and lifeguard who attempted a rescue, and an American guest, Mathew Desantis, 41, sustained injuries and were hospitalized, where they are reported to be in stable condition.
According to local media reports, Theiss's wife has filed a police complaint alleging negligence by the hotel management, stating that both victims were electrocuted while trying to exit the pool and subsequently drowned. The couple had arrived in India on October 20 for a holiday and checked into the hotel the day before the incident.
Horvat's wife reportedly heard screams and found her husband motionless in the water. Hotel management expressed deep sadness over the event and stated their full cooperation with the ongoing police investigation. The cause of the incident has not yet been officially determined, though local media points to electrocution as the suspected cause, with investigators examining how an electrical current entered the pool water.
Lufthansa confirmed the death of one of its crew members during a layover in Bengaluru and extended its condolences to the family. The Conrad Bengaluru Hotel, part of the Hilton group, has announced its pool will be closed for maintenance from October 31 to November 30. Investigators are examining potential sources of the electrical current, including underwater lighting, and assessing the functionality of safety devices such as earth-leakage circuit breakers.