Two European nationals died after allegedly suffering electric shocks while swimming in the pool of the Conrad hotel in Bengaluru’s Halasuru area, police said on Saturday. The incident took place on Friday evening at the hotel’s swimming pool on the third floor.
The deceased were identified as Alexander Maximilian Theiss, 57, a German national who worked as a crew member with Lufthansa, and Juraj Horvat, 45, a project manager with IBM, according to police. Both men were staying at the five-star hotel, the police said.
Two other people were injured while attempting to rescue the victims. They were identified as Mathew Desantis, 41, a US national and hotel guest, and Rahul Tiwari, 28, an Indian pool attendant employed at the hotel.
The injured men were taken to Manipal Hospital for treatment. A senior police officer said both were out of danger and undergoing care. The officer did not provide further details about the nature or extent of their injuries.
Police have described the deaths as suspected electrocution and registered a case. The exact cause of the incident has not been established in the information made available by the police. Further investigation is underway.
The incident places attention on the safety of electrical systems and equipment serving swimming pools in commercial buildings, although the available police account does not identify the specific source of the suspected electrical fault. It also highlights the risks faced by people who attempt emergency rescues in water-related incidents, as both the hotel guest and pool attendant were injured during the effort to help the victims.
The pool was located on the third floor of the Conrad hotel in Halasuru. The police have not disclosed whether any equipment, wiring or other facility component was found to be responsible for the suspected electrocution, nor have they announced any findings from a technical inspection.
The case remains under investigation. Police are expected to establish the sequence of events, determine how the suspected electrical hazard occurred and examine the circumstances surrounding the deaths and injuries.
