2-Year-Old Toddler Dies After Squeezing Through Safety Gate and Falling into Swimming Pool

Generic photo of safety fence in front of swimmimg pool.Photo: Getty

A 2-year-old boy in Florida has tragically died after squeezing through a safety gate and falling into his family’s swimming pool, according to authorities.

The Cape Coral Police Department said in an investigative report that the devastating incident took place on May 7, when the child’s parents left him unattended during dinner, according toABC 7.

The parents reportedly told investigators that the toddler had asked to go swimming, but they instructed him to wait until he had finished his food and left the room.

When one parent returned, they noticed that the boy was missing from the table and a sliding glass door leading to the pool area had been opened, according to the report.

The parent then saw the boy lying facedown in the pool and pulled him out of the water to perform CPR,NBC 2reported. According to the police incident report, the child was found with some of his dinner still in his mouth.

The toddler was rushed to a local hospital, where he died four days later.

Investigators said in their report that a pool gate was installed, but the child pulled a section of it apart and squeeze through, according to NBC 2. The boy reportedly did not know how to swim.

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A spokesperson for the Cape Coral Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Drowning is one of the top causes of unintentional deaths for children in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

source: people.com