Vietnam reopens probe into death of Japanese boy in 5-star resort's swimming pool

At around 10 a.m. on April 5, 2022, 11-year-old Hanawa Yukiji, who weighed 39 kg and was 1.4 m tall, was playing at a swimming pool of the Centara Mirage Resort Mui Ne in Phan Thiet.

The boy knew how to swim, and the pool was a meter deep.

The spot (circled) in a swimming pool at Centara Mirage Resort Mui Ne in Phan Thiet in central Vietnam where Japanese boy Hanawa Yukiji was drowned in 2022. Photo courtesy of his family

At 10:35 a.m., a person at the pool found that Yukiji was "sucked in a metal mesh in the pool."

Somebody tried to pull him out but failed, so they called others for help. He died on the way to hospital.

Forensic analysis of Binh Thuan authorities revealed that the boy had acute pulmonary edema and respiratory failure due to drowning, which led to his death.

There were square bruises on his body, which had formed because "the back side of the victim's body was pressed on or get sucked in objects with similar shapes," according to the analysis.

Square bruises are seen on the body of 11-year-old Hanawa Yukiji. Photo courtesy of Yukiji's family

The family said Yukiji's death could not have been his fault as he knew how to swim, and that the boy was 1.4 m tall while the pool was only a meter deep.

In May 2022, police of Phan Thiet City launched an investigation into involuntary manslaughter due to misconduct in professional practice or administrative rules.

However, the case was suspended in January 2023 as the investigation period had passed and the forensic science department under the Ministry of Public Security had yet to give out an explanation on how the drainage sewer worked, among other issues.

Investigation resumed three months later but was suspended again in July 2023 as there were "no criminal events regarding the death."

A forensic report by HCMC Forensic Technology Institute stated that the drainage sewer could not have sucked in someone who was 1.4 m tall and weighed 39 kg, like Yukiji, while they were swimming or standing on the sewer and leading to their death.

As such, the police of Phan Thiet had stated that Yukiji's death was an accident during the use of the pool. His family however did not agree, saying the boy died as he was sucked into the metal mesh in the bottom of the pool.

A metal mesh in a swimming pool at Centara Mirage Resort Mui Ne in Phan Thiet in central Vietnam where Japanese boy Hanawa Yukiji was drowned in 2022. Photo courtesy of his family

Investigation into the case began again in February 2024, and the case had been handed over to the police of Binh Thuan.

A re-enactment of the case for forensic analysis by the Binh Thuan police was completed on Tuesday, with the involvement of the lawyer representing the victim's family and others like witnesses, the pool operator and lifeguards.

The re-enactment, carried out with a boy with similar stature and age with Yukiji's, showed that the drainage suction was strong enough that the boy would not be able to escape on his own. If the boy had been placed further than 30 cm away from the sewer, he could not have been sucked in.

The investigation is ongoing.