Seven-Year-Old Girl Dies After Mistakenly Receiving a Wristband Indicating She Can Swim

A tragedy at a summer camp has sparked outrage and a legal process seeking to determine responsibility. A seven-year-old girl lost her life after entering a deep area of ​​a lake after mistakenly receiving a wristband indicating she could swim.

The girl, identified as Anisa Murati, was participating in a summer camp organized by a parish at the AcquaViva Biopark in Caraglio, Italy, on July 24, 2024.

The camp's system used wristbands of different colors to indicate the children's swimming ability. However, upon arrival, the counselors gave the children orange wristbands, indicating they could swim with confidence.

According to investigators, Anisa should have been given a green wristband, intended for children who lacked experience or confidence in the water. The error allowed her to approach the lake without additional protection, such as a flotation device.

The alarm was raised when staff found the girl's pink sandals on the lake shore. After searching unsuccessfully and repeatedly calling for her, emergency services were notified. Divers participating in the operation later located her body at the bottom of the lake, about two meters deep.

Subsequent investigations revealed several alleged irregularities. According to the prosecutor's office, the facility had structural and safety deficiencies, as well as insufficient supervision of the children. Although legally four lifeguards were required, when the disappearance was reported, only one lifeguard was actually on duty.

It was also noted that there was no floating barrier separating the shallow area from the deeper part of the lake, a measure considered essential for this type of facility. Furthermore, an investigation is underway to determine whether the biopark's construction was approved despite not fully complying with the authorized project.

Due to these events, the prosecution requested that six people face trial for involuntary manslaughter. Among them are the engineer and architect who approved the facilities, the park manager, the priest who organized the camp, and two counselors responsible for supervising the children.

Anisa was the daughter of an Albanian couple who live in the town of Demonte with their two other children. Her school remembered her as a cheerful, studious girl, well-loved by her classmates. For the family, the tragedy reopens a deep wound, as they had lost another daughter to illness years earlier.

The case remains in the judicial process as authorities seek to determine responsibility in an incident that has once again sparked debate about safety measures and supervision in outdoor children's activities.