Toddler’s father and grandfather drown after jumping into hotel pool to save two-year-old girl

A two-year-old girl’s father and grandfather have drowned after jumping into a hotel swimming pool in an attempt to save her.

Dharmvir Singh, 38, and Gurjinder Singh, 65, died at the seaside resort Surfers Paradise in eastern Australia’s Gold Coast on Sunday evening.

The pair from Clyde North in Victoria were believed to be father and grandfather to the toddler, who lost her footing while playing by the side of the pool at a hotel on Orchid Avenue and fell into a deeper part of the water.

The duo, who were thought to be on holiday, immediately jumped in to rescue the young child but then got into difficulty themselves.

Fellow tourists pulled the family from the water and performed CPR on the two men before paramedics arrived just before 7pm and continued attempts at reviving them.

However, despite their best efforts, Dharmvir and Gurjinder were both pronounced dead at the scene after suffering cardiac arrest.

MP Jason Wood, who identified the pair, said: “My thoughts and prayers go out to their friends and family during this awful time.”

He added the toddler did not suffer any physical injuries.

Senior operations supervisor Mitch Ware from Queensland Ambulance Service said a woman who knew the family was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital “in an emotional state” but stable condition.

He described the scene as “extremely emotional”, adding: “Anyone could understand that, not just to lose one family member but to lose two family members.”

Mr Ware went on to issue a warning to the community to be careful around water.

He said: “It’s the start of the school holidays – it’s a busy period for the ambulance service, especially in and around Surfers Paradise. We do see increases in post submersion cases in and around the Easter long weekend and especially around the school holidays.

“So I will just reiterate to the community to exercise due care – especially if you’re not a strong swimmer and especially if there’s young children around – that you are really careful, because we know that children, and even adults, can drown within a couple of seconds if they find themselves in those sort of situations.”

Extending his condolences on behalf of the Queensland Ambulance Service, he said: “These incidents can have long-lasting effects on not just the family members involved but also the people who were at the scene and also the first responders.”

He added that it is unclear whether there were safety flotation devices by the pool at the time, and confirmed Queensland Police Service is investigating the incident.