A preliminary probe into the deaths of two foreign nationals at the Conrad Hotel swimming pool in Bengaluru has found that the suspected electrical leakage may have been confined to a four-to-five-metre radius near the pool ladder, officials investigating the incident told the Times of India. Two other people were injured while attempting to rescue the victims.
The incident took place at the hotel in Ulsoor and involved a German and a Slovak national, according to the report. Investigators are examining how electrical current reached the pool and whether the underwater lighting system was responsible for the suspected electrocution.
Police alerted the jurisdictional engineer of Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company Ltd (Bescom) soon after the incident. The matter was subsequently referred to the electrical inspectorate, whose engineers inspected the pool’s electrical transmission network and power supply systems.
During the preliminary inspection, engineers identified the underwater lighting system as a possible source of the fault. The lights were reportedly powered by direct current through a switch-mode power supply, or SMPS. The unit converts high-voltage alternating current into low-voltage direct current for the lighting system.
Officials are examining the SMPS unit, its electrical connections and the safety arrangements linked to the underwater installation. The inspection is intended to establish whether a technical malfunction allowed current to leak into the pool. Investigators have not yet determined whether the limited spread of the current was caused by the nature of the fault, the pool’s electrical configuration or other technical factors.
The reported four-to-five-metre radius is a significant part of the preliminary assessment because the incident resulted in two deaths and injuries to two people who rushed to help. However, the finding does not yet establish the precise cause of the electrical failure or whether the lighting system was ultimately responsible.
Bescom officials said the hotel is an High Tension consumer and that the utility’s responsibility extends only to supplying electricity up to the premises. The internal electrical distribution network, including wiring and installations, is the responsibility of the hotel management, according to the official cited in the report.
The official added that Bescom would have extended supply only after the Electrical Inspectorate issued a no-objection certificate based on a completion certificate submitted by an authorised and empanelled electrical contractor. The electrical inspectorate’s detailed inquiry will determine how the suspected leakage occurred and examine the safety systems connected to the pool.
