According to police, the incident occurred on Friday evening (Oct 30) at the swimming pool located on the third floor of the hotel in Halasuru. Representative image: Wikimedia Commons
Bengaluru hotel pool tragedy: Lufthansa captain, Slovakian IBM manager die
Police suspect a possible electrical leak from underwater lights at the Conrad hotel in Halasuru, but the cause of Friday’s incident is yet to be established
Two foreign nationals staying at a five-star hotel in Bengaluru have died allegedly due to suspected electrocution while swimming in the hotel's pool, police said on Saturday (October 31).
According to police, the incident occurred on Friday evening (October 30) at the swimming pool located on the third floor of Conrad hotel in Halasuru.
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The deceased have been identified as Alexander Maximilian Theis (57) from Germany, and Juraj Horvath (45) from Slovakia. Theis was an employee of German airline Lufthansa and was staying at the hotel during a layover in Bengaluru. Horvath worked as a project manager at IBM.
Lufthansa captain Alexander
Alexander was employed by German airline Lufthansa and died while swimming. German media outlets Bild and Focus Online have reported that he was a flight captain. However, Lufthansa has confirmed the death of an employee without officially disclosing his designation.
Police sources told The Federal Karnataka that Alexander was part of the crew of Lufthansa flight LH764, which had arrived in Bengaluru from Munich. The flight had two pilots and 11 cabin crew members. The crew reportedly stayed at the Conrad Hotel to rest after landing.
Slovakian IBM manager
The other victim, Juraj Horvath was from Slovakia and worked as a project manager at global IT company IBM. The exact reason for his visit to Bengaluru is not yet known.
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Police are in touch with the Slovakian Embassy to gather information about Horvath’s family, background and other personal details.
American guest narrowly escapes
Matthew DeSantis, a 41-year-old American national, was also injured in the incident. He was in the swimming pool on Friday (October 30) evening when he suffered an electric shock. He managed to swim out of the pool and escape.
The reason for DeSantis’s visit to Bengaluru is yet to be established. He was admitted to Manipal Hospital after developing a headache following the incident. His condition is stable.
Rahul Tiwari, a 28-year-old hotel employee who suffered an electric shock while entering the pool to rescue those in distress, is also recovering.
This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka