Widow’s plea after tragic double drowning
The widow of a man who drowned in a hotel pool while trying to save their two-year-old daughter has made a desperate plea for help.
Sandeep Kaur described herself as an “unlucky wife” after both her husband Dharmvir Singh, 38, and father-in-law Gurjinder Singh, 65, drowned while on holidays at the Top of the Mark holiday apartments in Surfers Paradise on Sunday.
The men frantically dived into the water to rescue the two-year-old after she fell into the deep end of the pool.
Ms Kaur said the entire family was in “massive shock and stress” after the holiday tragedy and were overwhelmed by the emotional and financial burden of laying the two men to rest.
“Me and (my) mother-in-law are two widows now, we don’t [know] what to do now,” she said in a post to GoFundMe.
“All our family, relatives and friends are in massive shock and stress. I have to look after my two daughters and mother-in-law. Our family’s earning hands are abruptly taken away from us.
“Please help us in this untimely havoc situation.”
The family have already raised almost $80,000 on the fundraising page in less than 24 hours, far exceeding its initial goal of $50,000.
It will cover the cost of transporting the bodies back to Melbourne, two funeral services and last ritual ceremonies.
How holiday turned into nightmare
CCTV footage being studied by police investigators revealed how the tragedy unfolded in a matter of minutes.
The girl and her mother were playing in the shallow end of the pool when the young child lost her balance and drifted into deep water.
The girl’s mother rushed to save her but ran into difficulty herself, prompting her husband and the child’s grandfather, who were relaxing poolside, to jump into the water to rescue them.
While the mother and child made it to safety, the girl’s elder sister, who was standing on the pool’s edge, attempted to use a towel to pull the two men out of the water as they struggled to stay afloat.
Sadly, desperate rescue efforts could not save the two men.
Emergency services arrived at the scene within minutes to find the pair unconscious at the rooftop pool.
Paramedics and an off-duty doctor performed CPR, but the men couldn’t be revived.
