How did two foreign nationals die in a five-star hotel pool in Bengaluru? | Explained

The tragic deaths of two foreign nationals following suspected electrocution in the swimming pool of Hotel Conrad, a five star hotel operated by the Hilton Group, in central Bengaluru, have raised serious questions about electrical safety standards, maintenance protocols and emergency preparedness at swimming pools in general and luxury hotels in particular. 

What happened? 

On October 30, 2026, evening at around 5:15 p.m., a German national Alexander Maximilian Theiss (57), a Lufthansa Airlines crew member, resting in Bengaluru between flight schedules after arriving from Frankfurt and Juraj Horvat (45), a Slovakian national on a holiday to India with his wife and an American national Mathew Desantis (41), were in the swimming pool on the third floor of the hotel. 

Horvat’s wife Silvia Hotuatova (47) told the police that she heard a commotion near the pool and rushed to check on her husband and found him motionless in the water. Another guest Alexander Maximilian Theiss was also lying motionless. 

Mr. Desantis, also in the pool, realised there was a strong current in the pool and swimmed to safety, Manipal Hospital, where the victims were later taken to, said in a statement. Rahul Tiwari (28), a hotel employee working as a pool attendant and lifeguard, entered the pool to rescue the two, but he also reportedly suffered shocks. Another person noticed that there appeared to be an electrical current in the water. Realising the danger, hotel staff switched off the electricity supply before pulling the victims out.

Mr. Desantis attempted to rescue the victims and administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The victims were subsequently shifted to a hospital in an ambulance. Manipal Hospital said while Theiss was brought dead, Horvat was brought in a state of cardiac arrest and attempts to revive him failed. Mr. Tiwari was in a state of shock and Mr. Desantis reported a headache. Both have been discharged since then. 

How did power leak into the pool? 

Swimming pools have electrical installations for several purposes, including underwater lighting, water circulation, filtration pumps, heating if the pool is a heated pool and other maintenance equipment. If an electrical wire, appliance or installation develops a fault, current can potentially leak into the pool water. A failure in earthing, damaged insulation, defective underwater lighting or malfunctioning electrical protection systems could be possible sources.

Swimming pools are particularly sensitive environments because water and wet surfaces increase the risk of electric shock. Even a fault in an electrical installation outside the pool can potentially create a dangerous situation if the electrical systems in the pool are not properly isolated and protected.

However, none of these possibilities has been conclusively established as the cause of the Conrad Hotel incident. The precise source of the suspected electrical leakage will have to be determined through a technical examination, currently being carried out by the Electrical Inspectorate. Their report is awaited. Meanwhile, the pool has been shut for inspection. 

An official with the Scene of Crime team that visited the pool immediately after the incident said they could still feel jolts from the water in the pool. Preliminary suspicions point to a short circuit. An official said that there were some damages to the wiring for the lights and this may have led to the power leakage. The capacity of the lights fixed inside the pool is around 2 to 3 volts. But sleuths suspect the voltage to the lights in the particular pool could be higher, given two people were killed. They also suspect poor earthing. 

Rescuers also at risk 

One of the key aspects of the incident is that people who rushed to save the victims also suffered electric shocks.

When an electrical fault energises pool water or surrounding metal fittings, anyone entering the affected area may be exposed to the same danger. An instinctive attempt to pull someone out of the water can therefore put the rescuer’s life at risk.

According to the complaint, hotel staff noticed the suspected presence of electricity in the water and switched off the power supply before attempting to pull the victims out. But this was after the life guard Mr. Tiwari jumped in and also suffered shocks. 

This raises questions about the hotel’s emergency response arrangements, including whether staff were adequately trained to handle electrical emergencies and whether the power supply was isolated promptly. In such situations, the electrical supply must be isolated before rescuers enter the affected water. Emergency response protocols and staff training are critical to preventing further casualties, experts say. 

Investigation 

Swimming pools in hotels require specialised electrical safety arrangements. Some of the important safeguards include: proper earthing and equipotential bonding of electrical installations, residual current devices to detect leakage current and disconnect the supply, properly insulated and certified underwater lighting equipment, periodic testing of earthing and electrical protection systems, immediate isolation of the electrical supply in case of suspected leakage. 

The investigation will have to establish whether these safeguards were installed, maintained and functioning properly at the time of the incident. Apart from the technical aspects being probed by the Electrical Inspectorate, the police are also looking into whether mandatory electrical safety inspections were conducted, whether the hotel management followed prescribed maintenance and safety procedures and whether hotel staff responded appropriately and promptly after the incident.

The Halasuru police have registered a case against the Conrad Hotel management under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, for causing death by negligence.

Swimming Pools Act 

This is the third such incident where people have died of electrocution in swimming pools in Bengaluru, in the past four years. A 17-year-old swimmer from Kerala was electrocuted during a swimming competition at a school in November, 2022 and a 9-year-old girl was electrocuted to death at a swimming pool of her apartment in December, 2023.

The Karnataka Swimming Association has now mooted a Karnataka Swimming Pools Act, to standardise safety measures and quality control in swimming pools across the State.