Two foreign nationals die in suspected electrocution at Bengaluru's Conrad Hotel pool

Two foreign nationals died in a suspected electrocution in the swimming pool on the third floor of the Conrad Hotel in Ulsoor, central Bengaluru, on the evening of October 30, the police said.

The deceased have been identified as Alexander Maximilian Theiss, 57, a German national and a crew member with Lufthansa Airlines, and Juraj Horvat, 45, a Slovak national working as a project manager with an information technology company.

According to the police, two more people were injured while attempting to rescue the two men from the water. They have been identified as Mathew Desantis, 41, an American tourist staying at the hotel, and Rahul Tiwari, 28, a pool attendant and lifeguard employed by the hotel.

Both injured persons were shifted to a private hospital, where they are undergoing treatment. Police said they are out of danger.

A case has been registered and an investigation launched to ascertain the circumstances that led to the deaths, including how the swimming pool area came to be electrically charged and whether the safety arrangements required at such a facility were in place, the police said.

The police have not yet specified the sections under which the case has been registered, and said the exact cause of death would be confirmed after the post-mortem examination and a technical examination of the pool's electrical system.

Electric current passing through water in a confined space such as a pool can cause sudden muscle paralysis, leaving even strong swimmers unable to move or call for help, which is why rescue attempts by untrained bystanders can also place them at risk. Safety experts advise that anyone witnessing such an incident should first cut off the power supply to the pool before entering the water.

Pool installations in India are covered by national building and electrical safety standards, which require proper earthing, residual current devices that cut off supply when a fault is detected, and periodic inspection and maintenance of wiring, lighting and pumping equipment. Underwater lighting and pump motors are among the parts of a pool system most often associated with electrical faults, and inquiries into such accidents usually examine maintenance logs and the record of the most recent safety audit.

Accidental electrocution is a recurring cause of death in India, and the National Crime Records Bureau compiles such deaths in its annual data on accidental fatalities. The October 30 incident has focused attention on the upkeep of pool facilities at hotels and clubs in Bengaluru, where private establishments maintain their own installations.

The Conrad is a luxury hotel in Ulsoor, a busy commercial and residential neighbourhood in central Bengaluru that also draws visitors to the Ulsoor lake nearby.

Further details are awaited as the investigation continues. Nothing established so far points to any cause other than an electrical fault, but the police have said the matter remains under inquiry.