Two foreigners die in suspected electrocution at five-star hotel pool
Dhaka: A Lufthansa crew member and another foreign guest died, and two others were injured after a suspected electrical leak at a hotel swimming pool in Bengaluru, India, police said.
The incident occurred on the evening of October 30, at the Conrad Bengaluru, a five-star property in the city's Halasuru neighborhood, according to media reports.
Bengaluru's Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said investigators suspect an electrical leak but are awaiting medical, technical, and expert reports to confirm the cause, while officials cordoned off the pool area.
Police identified the victims as Alexander Maximilian Theiss, 57, a German national and Lufthansa crew member, and Juraj Horvat, 45, a Slovak national who worked as a project manager for IBM. Both were staying at the hotel.
Two others were injured while reportedly trying to help. They are Mathew Desantis, a 41-year-old American guest, and Rahul Tiwari, a 28-year-old pool attendant and lifeguard.
All four were taken to Manipal Hospital. Theiss was dead on arrival, while Horvat died after doctors tried to revive him, the reports said, citing the hospital.
Desantis was stable after experiencing a headache and shock. Tiwari was also stable. Doctors planned to check him for possible fractures after he reported pain.
Theiss' wife filed a police complaint alleging that the men were shocked while trying to get out of the pool and drowned.
A joint technical investigation is examining the pool's pump, underwater lighting, and earthing lines. Preliminary inspections focused on the underwater lighting system as a possible source of the electrical fault. Investigators have not confirmed the cause.
Lufthansa confirmed the death of the crew member during a layover in Bengaluru. The airline expressed deep sadness and extended its sympathies to the family, relatives, and friends. It did not share further details out of respect for the privacy of those affected.
A spokesperson for Hilton Worldwide Holdings, which owns Conrad Hotels & Resorts, said the company was deeply saddened by the deaths and offered condolences to those impacted.
The spokesperson said the cause has not yet been established and remains subject to a comprehensive investigation by local authorities.
The hotel said it is offering full support to the investigation and remains available to assist the authorities.
