Girl, 4, drowns during swimming lesson at private nursery with no lifeguard

A swimming lesson at a private nursery ended in tragedy after a four-year-old girl drowned in a pool deemed too deep for children and without a lifeguard present.

The shocking incident took place at a nurseryin the Suleymaniye neighbourhood of Inegol in Bursa Province, Turkey, on August 12. Footage captured staff battling to save little Berra Dizi after she was spotted floating motionless in the water as a swimmingteacher pulled her from the pool.

A nurse at the scene gave the girl first aid before paramedics rushed her to a state hospital. Berra was transferred to Bursa Yuksek Ihtisas Education and Research Hospital but died in intensive care seven days later.

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An investigation found that the pool, used for the nursery's summer activities, was 74 centimetres (29 inches) deep even though safety rules limit children's pools to 50 centimetres (19 inches).

Investigators also said there had been no certified lifeguard on duty and that the swimming teacher was not in the pool with the children when the incident happened. A 12-page report commissioned by prosecutors showed that Berra's mother had declared her daughter had twice suffered febrile seizures as a baby, but that she had been seizure-free for two years and had been taken off medication on her doctor's advice.

The school claimed that Berra had suffered an epileptic fit in the pool, suggesting the drowning was caused by her condition rather than negligence. However her parents rejected the claim, stating that Berra had grown out of the childhood seizures and had no ongoing illness.

Hospital records proved she drowned, the parents insisted, adding that the seizure claim was invented to deflect responsibility. The report found the nursery operator E.B.O. "primarily at fault" and the swimming teacher N.T. "secondarily at fault".

Berra's parents were also listed as "primarily at fault" for not providing full medical history, a claim they described as deeply unfair. Berra's father Ismail Dizi criticised the expert panel, saying two of its members were mechanical engineers who had wrongly issued medical opinions instead of assessing safety failings.

He said the nursery lacked proper permits and safety equipment, and should never have been allowed to run a pool. Moum Beyza Turan said parents were told not to send their children with arm floats that day and believes her daughter would still be alive if safety rules had been followed.

She said the nursery remains open despite the ongoing investigation and vowed to keep fighting for justice for her daughter.