FOR one family, a holiday turned out to be a disaster which saw two children die in just a matter of minutes. London Marie, 11 and her brother Wadale, 14 were playing in the hotel pool before their mum found them at the "bottom" of it . Brittney McWhite had left her children to play in the pool unattended while she sorted out the food.
"They weren't in there for more than like three, four minutes," the grieving mum told FOX 29 Philadelphia . "They called their names..
.and when they jumped in, they were at the bottom of the pool." The family was on holiday in New Jersey, US when the kids decided to go and play a game of Marco Polo in the pool, which involved holding your breath underwater.
Brittney, who has four other kids, said London Marie and Wadale could swim, which was why she left them alone for a short spell. Although they were quickly pulled out from the bottom of the pool, they had already drowned. As summer begins, the mum has issued a warning to fellow parents who may take their kids to a pool.
She said that drownings like these could happen after being in the water for just "a minute." "Always have a set of eyes," she added. "Prevent your kids from playing games and make sure the pool is safe," she said.
"If it doesn't look right, don't do it because once you lose your child, it is hard." For the past week, the children were placed on life support machines to keep them alive. By Sunday, it became clear to Brittney and the kids' father that nothing was going to chan.