Police inspect the scene of the death of a Japanese child at the resort’s swimming pool

According to Ms. Huynh Thi Anh Thu (mother of Hanawa Yukiji), on April 5, the family went to Centara Mirage Resort to relax. At 10am on the same day, Hanawa Yukiji and 3 children bathed in the children’s swimming pool of the above resort.

About 35 minutes later, people discovered that Hanawa Yukiji was sucked into the pool wall, where there was a metal mesh. When everyone rescued Hanawa Yukiji, she was suffocated, her back and arms had many bruises.

The marks on the skin on the back and arms of Hanawa Yukiji show that the suction force on the metal plate under the pool wall is very large. Provide family photos.

“After the incident happened, we brought our son back to Ho Chi Minh City to take care of the post-mortem and notify the Consulate General of Japan,” Ms. Thu said.

On the death notice of the Forensic Center of Binh Thuan province, the cause of death was stated as “drowning”. However, Hanawa Yukiji’s family believes that the cause of his suffocation was because he was sucked into the lake wall where the metal plate was attached. The marks left on her back and arms show that the suction is very strong. Those who came to help remove the baby from the metal plate said that with that force, an adult cannot even struggle to get out.

“My son has been quite adept at swimming and diving since he was six years old. The depth of the lake where he was in the accident was only about 1m while he was 1.4m tall. It is worth mentioning that the area where my children and young children play, there is no sign of danger or sign prohibiting access, “Ms. Thu said.

At the end of April, the Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City sent a note to relevant agencies in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Thuan about the incident that the boy Hanawa Yukiji drowned in the swimming pool of Centara Mirage Resort.

The Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City said that related to the incident, the Binh Thuan Provincial Police conducted a scene inspection and forensic surgery, concluding that the cause of death was drowning. However, the process leading to drowning is not yet fully investigated. Therefore, the family of Hanawa Yukiji based on the field evidence that the cause of the drowning came from abnormalities in the operation of equipment at the resort’s swimming pool.

The location of the swimming pool of Centara Mirage Resort, where Hanawa Yukiji’s nephew crashed. Provide family photos.

Accordingly, her family has requested to prosecute a criminal case for this death, along with the “Application for consideration” that her mother, Ms. Huynh Thi Anh Thu, has sent to the Consulate General of Japan. The Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, based on the wishes of his family, respectfully requests the Binh Thuan Provincial Police and relevant authorities to soon take appropriate handling measures.

Meanwhile, lawyer Nguyen Huynh Van Khoa (representing Hanawa Yukiji’s family) added that after the incident, the family had filed a request for the police to prosecute the case. The family requested the investigating agency to prosecute the case to take the next steps to clarify the cause of the death of Hanawa Yukiji’s grandson.