British boy, 11, drowns in swimming pool during family holiday at French camp site
- Child died after getting into difficulty at man-made pool in French camp site
- Lifeguard noticed a lifeless body in the water at La Croix du Vieux Pont site
- The 11-year-old was airlifted from the scene but pronounced dead at hospital
- Dozens of guests tried to save him when they saw he was drowning in the pool
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An 11-year-old British schoolboy has drowned in a pool at a French camp site.
The child, who is said to be from East Yorkshire but has not been named, died after getting into difficulty while swimming at the La Croix du Vieux Pont site around 50 miles north-east of Paris.
Emergency services rushed to the scene at around 6.30pm local time last night after a lifeless body was reportedly noticed by a lifeguard.
The boy drowned in a man made pool at a site close by to Disneyland Paris and 50 miles north east of the capital. He is believed to be from East Yorkshire and has not yet been named
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office released a statement which said they were speaking to French authorities and supporting the family of a child who died in France
On realising the boy was in difficulty, dozens of people clambered towards the pool to try to save him.
The boy was airlifted from the scene but pronounced dead later at hospital.
The Foreign and Commonwealth confirmed that they were in contact with the French authorities and ‘supporting the family of a British child who has died in France’.
The site is close to both Paris and Disneyland Paris and hosts a range of children’s activities, making it a popular family destination for the Summer.
The pool is marketed as a ‘beachside lagoon lake’ and is surrounded by a man made beach.
The boy and his family had been travelling with Kent-based tour operator Venue Holidays, who confirmed his death.
‘Our hearts go out to the family concerned at this awful time,’ the company said in a statement.
The camping site is located around 50 miles north east of Paris and around an hour’s drive from the capital’s Disneyland resort
‘A senior director is on the campsite to offer assistance to the family and to ascertain what has happened.
‘We will of course co-operate fully with the owners of the campsite and with any official enquiry that the French authorities may instigate.
‘We will help the family in whatever way is possible and would request that their privacy is respected at this difficult time.’
European Camping Group released a statement expressing ‘deep sorrow for the family’.
‘The group and the camping direction and its staff, shocked by this tragedy, are with the holidaymakers and a psychological support was set up, 24 hours a day with an English-speaking French psychologist,’ it said.
‘The group, for the first time confronted with a fatal accident on one of its camping, collaborates with the authorities to shed light on the circumstances of the accident.’
The campsite’s website states it is spread over 100 acres with 660 camping plots and boasts a heated pool complex, as well as a lake surrounded by a man-made beach.
Eurocamp is one of the tour operators which occupies a position on the site.
A spokeswoman for the firm said: ‘Eurocamp are profoundly saddened to learn of the tragic incident that occurred onsite at La Croix du Vieux Pont yesterday.
‘Our thoughts are with the family at this very difficult time.
‘We are actively cooperating with the campsite operator, the tour operator with whom the family are travelling, and with local authorities to determine the precise circumstances that led to the accident.’
A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We are supporting the family of a British child who has died in France and are in contact with the French authorities.’