A woman in her late forties died in Lágafellslaug swimming pool in the town of Mosfellsbær yesterday, RÚV reports. It was the second death in a capital area pool within one week: a woman in her 80s died in Kópavogslaug swimming pool last Friday. In addition to these two cases, a man was found dead in a hot tub in Breiðholtslaug in Reykjavík last December. A swimming safety expert says it should not be possible for deaths like these to occur in capital area swimming pools.
Paramedics were called to Lágafellslaug pool in the capital area municipality of Mosfellsbær yesterday when a woman was found unconscious. The woman was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. Detective Superintendent Margeir Sveinsson says the case is under investigation, as other cases of deaths that occur in swimming pools.
Police continue to investigate the death that occurred in Breiðholtslaug pool last December. The victim was in his 70s and physically disabled, and he had likely been unconscious for around three minutes before he was discovered by another patron. Hafþór B. Guðmundsson, a former lecturer in sports science at the University of Iceland and an expert in swimming safety, was interviewed by RÚV last December following the death in Breiðholtslaug. He called for action on safety issues in Icelandic swimming pools.
