A young boy was seriously ill in hospital last night after being dragged unconscious from the bottom of a Mearns swimming pool.
Police were called to the open air pool at Stonehaven after the 11-year-old was spotted in the water around 2.15pm.
Schools had only just broken up for the holidays at lunchtime and it is believed the boy may have been celebrating the start of the long summer break with a swim.
Emergency services rushed to Queen Elizabeth Park and it is understood attempts to resuscitate the youngster were made at the poolside before he was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Last night the boy, who has not been named, was said to be in a serious condition.
The pool was closed as an investigation got under way.
A spokeswoman for Grampian Police said: ”Police were called to the outdoor swimming pool at 2.15pm as a result of an incident where an 11-year-old was found unconscious in the water.
”He was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he is in the care of medical staff. The pool will remain closed while police make inquiries. There doesn’t appear to have been any suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident.”
An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman confirmed that the authority was involved in a joint probe with the police. He said: ”We can confirm a boy was recovered from Stonehaven open air swimming pool and was subsequently taken to hospital by ambulance.
”We have launched an immediate investigation into the circumstances.”
Councillor Graeme Clark said he was shocked and saddened by the incident.
”It sounds really horrendous what has happened there,” he said. ”I am so sorry for the parents. We can only hope his condition improves. It is not clear what has happened there but the pool is a superb facility.
The chairman of the Friends of Stonehaven Open Air Pool, Mike Robins, also expressed his sadness and concern for the boy and his family.
”We are absolutely devastated that this has happened and are very concerned for the boy and his parents,” he said.
The Friends play a key role in supporting the running of the pool, which opened for the season at the end of May. Around 1,000 swimmers visited the attraction on its opening day.