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Three children die in separate incidents as the drowning toll continues to rise

Parents are once again warned to be more vigilant.
Three children die in separate drowning incidents

Queensland toddler Alex Grove, 2, is the latest death in an alarming number of drownings this holiday season.

He was pulled from a backyard inflatable pool on Tuesday and rushed to Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, however he died yesterday after his life support was switched off.

The second tragedy this week was that of 8-year-old Tristan Mack, who drowned at Lake Hume in Victoria late Tuesday evening as his family watched on helplessly.

Image: 7News

Lastly, the toddler who was pulled [from a backyard pond] in Sydney’s west on January 2 died in hospital yesterday.

It has been a horror season for drownings with the toll now standing at 22 since Christmas Day in NSW alone.

Justin Scarr, Chief Operating Officer at the Royal Life Saving Society tells 3AW he deeply concerned about the number of children who drown as they have not been taught how to swim. He believes this valuable skill could help save many lives.

“We’re deeply concerned about the number of school children who come through our system and can’t swim,” he said.

“That’s got to change.”

The Royal Life Saving Society notes that over the last 10 years around 330 Australian children under the age of five drowned and has devised a comprehensive safety checklist for all pool owners, particularly those who are parents of young children.

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