British girl, 6, left to drown in Tenerife hotel pool after lifeguard 'clocked out'

A six-year-old British girl was rescued from drowning at a hotel pool in Tenerife, after the lifeguard had reportedly finished his shift, according to reports.

An investigation has been launched by local police into the incident, which occurred around 6.50pm on May 9 at a hotel in Los Cristianos, located on the southwest coast of Tenerife. The girl received mouth-to-mouth resuscitation immediately after being pulled from the water.

Two local police motorcyclists and two patrol cars, who were in the vicinity, were the first to respond to the scene.

Spanish police are currently trying to establish the exact location of the child's parents at the time of the incident, as well as the whereabouts of the lifeguard assigned to the hotel pool. It is alleged that the lifeguard finished his shift at 6pm, approximately 50 minutes before the young girl was discovered in the water.

When emergency services arrived at the scene, the girl was reportedly conscious but extremely frightened. Paramedics arrived shortly after the police and transported the girl to a medical centre.

She was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia, a condition caused by inhaling liquid into the respiratory tract or lungs, as reported by Canarian Weekly. Medical staff managed to stabilise her condition and she has since been transferred to the children's emergency department at Nuestra Senora de Candelaria University Hospital.

As tempers rise due to a surge in tourists visiting the Canary Islands, a portion of the local populace are making their frustrations known. Disturbingly, 'go home' graffiti targeted at visitors has been on the rise.

Large scale protests took place in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura in April, where approximately 50,000 concerned citizens took part, with protest signs reading 'The Canary Islands have a limit'.

Viral footage displayed thousands vocally expressing their discontent, with chants such as "si vivimos del turismo por que no somos ricos? " ("If we are living from tourism then why are we not rich? ") prevalent throughout.

Carlos Tarife, the island's deputy mayor, has even implored potential holiday makers, especially Brits, to consider destinations like the Dominican Republic for their inclusive holidays with the tacit understanding that staying within their hotels might be a more appealing option.

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