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Schleswig-Holstein police explain search failures in child's drowning
Police in Schleswig-Holstein have provided details to the state parliament regarding the death of a three-year-old girl, Bella, who drowned in a family pool in Preetz in August.
During a hearing in the Interior and Legal Affairs Committee, officials explained why the child was not discovered during the initial search. According to the family, the girl had left the house through the front door, which does not provide access to the garden where the pool is located. Consequently, police initially focused their search on the surrounding area.
Authorities confirmed that a thorough search of the pool was conducted during the night before the body was found. This included using a net and having a firefighter enter the 80-centimeter-deep water to walk the bottom. However, heavy algae caused significant turbidity, making it impossible to see the bottom clearly. Thermal imaging cameras were also utilized during the search of the garden and pool area, but no findings were made until the child was discovered floating on the surface the following morning.
Entities
Bernd Buchholz · Magdalena Finke · Preetz · Sarah Lampe · Schleswig-Holstein Landtag
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Strong algae turbidity prevented visibility to the bottom of the 80 cm deep pool. www.mopo.de
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Police could not reach the center of the pool with their 140 to 150 cm net. www.mopo.de
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Authorities used a thermal imaging camera during the search. www.mopo.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] The three-year-old girl was found dead floating in the pool on August 6. www.kreiszeitung.de · www.merkur.de · www.mopo.de
- [DISPUTED] The garden containing the pool was not accessible from the front door. www.kreiszeitung.de · www.merkur.de
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Officers and a firefighter searched the pool using a net and by walking the bottom during the night. www.mopo.de
- [DISPUTED] The family reported that the child left the house via the front door. www.kreiszeitung.de · www.merkur.de