UPDATE: Boy On Life Support After Near Drowning Incident At Community Pool In Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Police now say a six-year-old boy is on life support a day after a near drowning incident at a community pool in West Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Police say the boy is on a ventilator at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Earlier tonight, authorities say they were told the boy was pronounced dead.
Officials said the boy was swimming at a community recreation center in the 200 block of South 63rd Street when the incident happened around 12:45 p.m. early Thursday afternoon.
WATCH: City Officials Hold News Conference On Near Drowning Incident
During a news conference, city officials said the child was there with a private camp of children between five and eight-years-old. They say as many as 30 children and four counselors were in the pool, and four lifeguards were on the deck at the time of the incident.
Once found in the pool, officials say lifeguards began to CPR.
Eyewitness News learned the child did not know how to swim but he was under close supervision by counselors who were in the pool.
"Each lifeguard can have as many as 30 people under their control. They have four lifeguards around the pool at this point [and] the pool holds approximately 150 people," said Lieutenant John Walker of the Philadelphia Police. "There were maybe 24-30 kids in the pool at the time so there was sufficient staff around, it's just an unfortunate situation."
Diana Rocco reports...
The boy was rushed to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Emergency dispatchers say the boy was not breathing when medics arrived on the scene.
Officials say the pool was shut down as police investigated and lifeguards were taken in for questioning. Interviews are still being done, but officials say they believe this was a tragic accident.
