4-Year-Old Drowns In Hot Tub After His Hand Got Stuck In Drain

A 4-year-old drowned in a spa over the weekend after his hand got stuck in a drain.

Cameron Nunez of Highland was playing in his backyard spa around 11:45 a.m. on Saturday when his hand somehow got stuck in an uncovered suction drain, according to the Los Angeles Times. Firefighters responded to the scene and were able to pull him out, but not in time. He was unconscious and unresponsive—he was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The boy's great-grandparents were there, but they weren't able to pull him out of the spa. Firefighters said that they found the drain cover at the bottom of the pool later, but they're not sure how it came undone. San Bernardino City Fire Department Capt. Jason Buchanan told CBS Los Angeles, "The boy might have uncovered it himself or by pulling we might have ripped it off, but after the scene, after they took him away, they found the drain cover was at the bottom."

Authorities aren't planning on filing criminal charges against the great-grandparents.

Fire officials are using this tragic death as an opportunity to warn parents and anyone watching kids to double-check the drain covers. Last summer, more than 200 children—most of them younger than 5—died in spas and swimming pools, according to the USA Swimming Foundation. A government website Pool Safely has a list of safety tips that include keeping children away from drains, pipes and other entrapments.