Slovakian couple had come for a holiday to India, man died hours after checking into Conrad

A holiday in India turned tragic for a Slovakian couple, as the man ended up being electrocuted to death in a swimming pool at Hotel Conrad, a five-star hotel in central Bengaluru, hours after they checked into the hotel on October 30, Friday. 

Silvia Hotuatova, 47, told the police that she, along with her husband Juraj Horvat, 45, had arrived in India on October 20 for a holiday and they checked into the hotel on October 30. 

Hours later, at around 5.15 p.m., Mr. Horvat went swimming in the hotel’s pool, his wife told the police. She said that she rushed to check on him after hearing a loud noise from near the pool, but found him motionless in the water.

“When hotel staff attempted to rescue him, they too sustained injuries. Another person noticed an electric current in the pool, following which the hotel staff immediately switched off the power supply. Matthew Phelan, an American national, attempted to rescue the victims and administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The victims were subsequently shifted to a hospital in an ambulance,” she told the police. 

Manipal Hospital said four people were brought on Friday evening. One of them, Mr. Horvat, was reportedly brought to the hospital in a state of cardiac arrest, following which the emergency team immediately initiated CPR and resuscitation. Despite continued efforts and all clinical measures, the patient could not be revived and was declared dead.

German national

The second individual, a German national in his early 40s, was brought to the hospital with no signs of life and was declared “brought dead”, according to the statement. The German national, identified as Alexander Maximilian Theiss, 57, a Lufthansa Airlines crew member, was reportedly part of an airline crew that had arrived in Bengaluru from Frankfurt and were staying at the hotel during a break in their flight schedule. The incident has reportedly left other members of the airline crew and hotel staff traumatised.

Injured

A statement from Manipal Hospital further said that during the incident, a 26-year-old Conrad staff member entered the water in an attempt to rescue the German national and the other individual. He was subsequently brought to the hospital in a state of shock, and is currently stable and under observation.

A U.S. national in his early 40s, who was also in the pool at the time, realised that there was a strong current in the water, and managed to swim to safety. He was subsequently brought to the hospital with a headache and in a state of shock. He is currently stable and under observation.