THIS is the terrifying moment a 2-year-old toddler started to drown in a back garden swimming pool while her dad’s back was turned.
Kana Kanuengnit, 3, and sibling Kaning, 2, were walking around the yard while playing with inflatable rubber rings at the family home in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, when the accident happened on February 25.
The father Apisit, 29, was watching the pair but while his back was turned for a moment as he swept up leaves, Kaning slipped into the 4ft deep pool.
CCTV footage shows how she was flailing in the water, swallowing mouthfuls of liquid before sinking below the surface.
Little Kana saw what was happening and called out to her dad before bounding over to get his attention.
Apisit then plunged into the water to pull the drowning toddler to safety.
Apisit said: “I was sweeping near the pool and my wife was cooking in the kitchen behind the house.
“We weren’t planning for any pool activities so I didn’t notice what was happening. But after a moment of me sweeping with my back to the pool, my younger daughter fell into the pool.
“I didn’t hear anything. It is partly my mistake for being careless but luckily I have a little hero – my eldest daughter.”
The father said his eldest daughter called him while saying that Kaning had fallen into the pool.
When he turned around, the toddler was “already drowning”.
Apisit, who runs a clothing business, said: “I didn’t know what to do, I forgot to think about my phone and things in my pocket. I threw it all and just jumped in the pool.
“The whole pool is 4ft-deep. They don’t know how to swim but they are in the water often so they know a little bit.”
The father hopes that the video will be a warning to other parents to take care while the children are near pools.
He said: “I think this is a great example to remind people that you cannot take your eyes off even for a split second when there are children and water.
“I want to stress this to parents with small kids and a pool to put up a barrier around the pool if not, they should always be careful.”
