Two Foreign Guests Die of Suspected Electrocution in Bengaluru Conrad Hotel Pool, Two Rescuers Injured

Two foreign nationals died of suspected electrocution in the swimming pool of the Conrad Hotel in Bengaluru on Friday evening, police said on Saturday. Two other men, an American tourist and a hotel lifeguard, were injured when they tried to pull the men out of the water.

What police say happened

The incident happened at about 6.30 p.m. on Friday, October 30, at the swimming pool on the third floor of the hotel in Halasuru, also known as Ulsoor, according to the IANS wire report carried on Saturday. Police sources said both men in the pool suffered fatal electric shocks after the water allegedly became electrically charged because of a suspected fault in the electrical system. How the water became energised is still under investigation, and police have not presented electrocution as a confirmed cause of death.

The Bengaluru police commissioner said in a statement reported on Saturday: "An unfortunate incident took place yesterday evening in a five-star hotel at the swimming pool on the terrace level, where there is a suspected electrical leakage. It appears to be a case of electrocution."

The men who died

Police identified the dead as Alexander Maximilian Theiss, 57, a German national, and Juraj Horvath, 45, a Slovak national. Theiss was a member of a Lufthansa crew and was on a layover in Bengaluru as part of his work with the airline, according to local officials. He had been staying at the hotel since October 20. Horvath worked as a project manager at IBM. A senior police officer said Horvath had checked into the hotel with his family on October 30, the day of the incident.

The rescue attempt

American tourist Mathew DeSantis, 41, and hotel lifeguard Rahul Tiwari, 28, were injured while attempting to pull the two men out of the water. Both men were shifted to Manipal Hospital, and hospital sources said they were in a stable condition. Police gave the account of the rescue and the condition of the two injured men when they confirmed the deaths on Saturday.

Negligence case and safety checks

Halasuru police registered a negligence case against the hotel management following a complaint lodged by Horvath's wife. Preliminary inspections by officials of the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited, known as BESCOM, indicated a possible problem with the earthing system or an electrical fault in the installations connected to the swimming pool.

A senior Bengaluru police officer said: "We are investigating the circumstances that led to the suspected electrocution, including possible electrical faults and the safety arrangements at the swimming pool. We are also examining whether adequate safety measures were in place at the facility."

The pool was initially cordoned off by police for forensic examination and electrical safety checks before it was released back to the hotel operator. The Conrad Hotel said its outdoor swimming pool would be closed on October 31 for maintenance purposes, in a notice that added: "We apologize for the inconvenience." The police commissioner said: "The exact cause will be determined once all medical and expert technical reports are submitted." Lufthansa did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the Paddle You Own Kanoo report.