SANDUSKY, Ohio (AP) - Capt. Paul Sigsworth of the Erie County Sheriff's Office says 3-year-old Hassan Itani drowned Sunday afternoon at the Kalahari Resorts water park in Sandusky on Lake Erie in northern Ohio.
The sheriff's office says the toddler slipped away from his mother and was found floating in a pool by lifeguards. The little boy and his family are from Dearborn, Michigan. Lifeguards gave him CPR, but it was too late.
A Kalahari spokesperson said the resort is saddened by the accidental drowning and that safety for its guests is the resort's number one priority.
The state has taken disciplinary action against Kalahari at least five times since the resort opened in 2005. Inspectors with the Amusement Ride Safety Division told Kalahari management last May the park had fewer lifeguards than expected and "many water rides were operated in a careless and unsafe manner."
The company's Web site says the Sandusky water park is the nation's largest indoor waterpark at 173,000 square feet.
