The wife of the British man who died with two of his kids on Christmas Eve while vacationing in Spain disputed authorities’ claims that they drowned in the resort pool because they couldn’t swim — insisting all three knew how.
“Something was wrong with the pool that must have made swimming difficult for them at that point in time,” Olubunmi Diya said.
Diya spoke out for the first time Friday after witnessing the death of her 52-year-old pastor husband, Gabriel Diya, and two children, 9-year-old Comfort and 16-year-old Praise-Emmanuel, as they swam in a pool at a resort in Mijas along the southern coast of Spain.
She said her husband and son entered the water when Comfort and the family’s third child appeared to have trouble swimming.
Initial reports said a swimming cap was discovered inside the pool, suggesting the three were sucked to their deaths by a malfunctioning drainage system.
A hotel worker who jumped in the pool also had trouble returning to the surface.
But Spanish police said the worker clarified that he struggled because he was trying to drag up the bodies, it was reported
The Spanish civil guard described their deaths as a “tragic accident caused by the victims’ lack of expertise in swimming when they found themselves in a deep area of the pool where they could not put their feet down.”
Club La Costa World, the operator of the hotel where the London-based family was staying, also said it conducted an investigation and found “no concerns relatning to the pool or procedures in place.”
But Diya insists authorities are distributing false information.
“We never informed the police or anyone that the family members could not swim,” she said, adding that her “husband went in via the steps trying to help the two struggling [children] while I ran to the nearby apartments shouting for help.”
Diya, whose 14-year-old daughter was also vacationing with the family, said she is “utterly heartbroken” over the deaths.
“We are deeply shocked, saddened and struggling to come to terms with their passing. They all brought a joy and love to the world and to everyone that crossed their path,” she said.
“We love them all dearly, will always remember them in our hearts and miss them greatly.”
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