Lufthansa crew among 2 foreign nationals dead in suspected electrocution at Bengaluru hotel pool

Two foreign nationals, a German and a Slovak citizen, died in a suspected electrocution incident at the swimming pool of a luxury hotel in Bengaluru. While the German national was a Lufthansa crew member, the Slovak was employed as a project manager with IBM.

The hotel offered condolences over the loss of lives and said that the cause behind the tragedy remains under investigation. “We are offering our full support to their investigation. Our team remains available to provide all appropriate assistance to relevant authorities as their investigation continues,” the hotel said in a statement.

The victims were identified as Alexander Maximilian Theiss, 57, a German national, and Juraj Horvat, 45, a Slovak citizen. Those injured were identified as 41-year-old American tourist Mathew Desantis and 28-year-old hotel pool attendant and lifeguard Rahul Tiwari.

They are both undergoing treatment at Manipal Hospital and are said to be out of danger. While the exact cause behind the incident is yet to be revealed, investigators are examining the possibility of an electrical leakage, with the underwater lighting system emerging as a suspected source.

The incident may have taken place after the underwater lights were switched on, potentially allowing electric current to pass into the pool water. However, police have not officially confirmed this theory, and the exact cause of the electrocution is yet to be established.

The investigation is expected to focus on the pool's electrical wiring, underwater lighting equipment, maintenance records and safety arrangements. The hotel premises and swimming pool's technical installations are likely to be examined as part of the probe.

Police are yet to establish the sequence of events and determine whether the suspected electrical fault was responsible for the deaths. East DCP Vikram Amathe told HT on Saturday that preliminary probe points to electrification as the cause.

He said that the electricity inspectorate department officers has been tasked with the probe. "A case registered at Halasuru police station’’ he added. The German national who died was a member of the Lufthansa flight crew and was staying at the hotel during a layover in Bengaluru.

Lufthansa has confirmed that one of its crew members died during a layover in Bengaluru. The airline expressed condolences to the bereaved family, relatives and friends but declined to disclose the identity and designation of the deceased, citing privacy concerns.

Reports also said that the airline was arranging psychological support for the crew members affected by the tragedy. Several airline crew members were said to be using the swimming pool when the incident occurred.