Two foreign nationals die in suspected electrocution at Conrad Bengaluru pool

Bengaluru: Two foreign nationals died on Friday evening after a suspected electrocution in the swimming pool of the Conrad Hotel in Halasuru, Bengaluru police said, in an incident that has raised questions about electrical safety at one of the city's luxury properties.

The dead were identified as Alexander Maximilian Theiss, 57, a German national and a Lufthansa crew member, and Juraj Horvat, 45, a Slovak national working as a project manager with IBM. Police said the two were in the third-floor pool around 6.30 pm when they were apparently electrocuted.

Two others were injured trying to pull them out — Mathew DeSantis, 41, an American tourist staying at the hotel, and Rahul Tiwari, 28, a pool attendant and lifeguard employed by the hotel. Both were taken to Manipal Hospital and are said to be out of danger.

A senior officer said police were examining possible electrical faults and whether adequate safety arrangements were in place at the pool. "We are investigating the circumstances that led to the suspected electrocution, including possible electrical faults and the safety arrangements at the swimming pool," the officer said.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) confirmed the deaths and said a case had been registered at Halasuru police station. The bodies have been moved to Manipal Hospital.

The hotel's website on Saturday showed the pool closed for maintenance from October 31 to November 30.

A complaint alleging negligence has been filed by the wife of one of the deceased, and police said the sequence of events, the condition of the pool's electrical installations and the maintenance record are all part of the probe. The exact cause is yet to be established and no finding has been recorded against the hotel.

(With inputs from PTI and media reports)