British boy, 12, dies after being pulled from swimming pool during family holiday to Vietnam
- Otis Walder-Robb, 12, was on a family holiday to Vietnam at a summer camp
- He was found in a swimming pool and rushed to hospital where he later died
A British boy has died after he was pulled from a swimming pool while on a family holiday to Vietnam.
Otis Walder-Robb, 12, was staying in Vietnam with his dad Stephen Walder, stepmother Liz Robb and sister Betty, six, when he suffered a ‘tragic accident’ on July 7, a family friend said.
He was found in a swimming pool and pulled from the water by four other children and rushed to hospital where he later died, according to family friend Rebecca Wegmann.
The family are understood to live in Pai, Thailand, and a GoFundMe page has been launched to help cover funeral and travel costs.
Family friend Gemma Anjamanee Piya Tora Lewis who set up the fundraiser said they are waiting to fly back to Bangkok, Thailand.
Otis Walder-Robb (pictured), 12, was staying in Vietnam with his dad Stephen Walder, stepmother Liz Robb and sister Betty, six, when he suffered a ‘tragic accident’ on July 7
He was found in a swimming pool and pulled from the water by four other children and rushed to hospital where he later died. Pictured (L-R): Sister Betty, six, stepmother Liz Robb, Otis, and father Stephen Walder
In a post on the fundraising page, Mrs Lewis said: ‘Otis Walder-Robb was 12 years old when he took his last breath at 7.57pm on 7-7-2023. We regret to share that his passing was of sudden consequence from a tragic accident.
‘There is grief and deep sorrow amidst the family’s hearts, and a growing community is in mourning.
‘We wish to use all funding towards the funeral expenses and memorial of Otis, and to cover all travel and health care costs in returning him, his sister Betty, and his parents Steven and Liz, to home soil, so the family and their community can celebrate and hold ceremony for his life.’
She added: ‘The family were temporarily visiting Vietnam due to working away at a children’s summer camp.
‘We’re all desperate to get their 6-year-old daughter back to our community so she can be in a familiar environment with friends who dearly miss her.’
Tributes poured in for the 12-year-old, with one man calling him an ‘incredible lad’ and another describing him as ‘such a vibrant young man’.
Stephen Walder, Otis’s father, is now enduring the third loss in his life following the death of his wife in 2017, and their son Reuben who died from a brain tumour in 2020.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We are supporting the family of a British child who died in Vietnam and are in contact with the local authorities.’
Tributes poured in for the 12-year-old, with one man calling him an ‘incredible lad’ and another describing him as ‘such a vibrant young man’
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