Two foreigners die at Bengaluru luxury hotel pool, electrocution suspected
Two foreigners die in suspected electrocution at Bengaluru’s Conrad Hotel. (Image courtesy: Screenshot via X/@prajwaldza)
New Delhi: Two foreign nationals from Germany and Slovakia died after a suspected electrocution at the swimming pool of Bengaluru’s five-star Conrad Hotel on Friday evening. An American guest and an Indian pool attendant were injured during rescue attempts, and police have begun an investigation into the deaths.
The incident occurred at the hotel’s third-floor swimming pool in Halasuru, also known as Ulsoor. Both men were staying at the hotel at the time, the Times of India reported.
The two men who died were identified as Alexander Maximilian Theiss, 57, a German national, and Juraj Horvat, 45, from Slovakia. Theiss was a Lufthansa crew member, while Horvat worked as a project manager with IBM, as per reports.
The injured were Mathew Desantis, 41, an American hotel guest, and Rahul Tiwari, 28, a pool attendant and lifeguard. Both were taken to Manipal Hospital, where they were reported to be stable and out of danger.
The head of emergency medicine at Manipal Hospital, Dr Mabel Vasnaik, was quoted by the Times of India as saying Theiss was brought dead, while attempts to resuscitate Horvat were unsuccessful. She attributed the deaths to electrocution, although the source of the suspected electrical hazard remains undetermined.
The deputy commissioner of police (East), Vikram Amathe, confirmed that a case had been registered. Investigators are examining the sequence of events and whether an electrical defect or failure of safety arrangements contributed to the incident. Police have not announced an official finding on the technical cause.
The wife of one of the men who died lodged a complaint alleging negligence by the hotel, India Today reported. Halasuru police later inspected the premises, but the allegations remain under investigation and have not been established.
The hotel’s website listed the swimming pool as closed for maintenance from Saturday until November 30. The hotel has not yet publicly responded to the incident, while police continue investigating the deaths and the circumstances of the rescue attempt.
