The family of 21-year-old Ben Woods is still reeling after a holiday tragedy turned their world upside down. Ben, a healthy and fit rugby player from Greater Manchester, drowned in a hotel swimming pool in Cyprus while lifeguards allegedly failed to notice he was in trouble, reportedly distracted by their phones.
Ben, who played for Leigh East rugby team and worked as a roofer, had been enjoying a summer break in July 2022 with his parents, brother Joshua, and extended family at the King Evelthon Beach Hotel and Resort in Paphos, a place they’d visited for over 30 years. What was meant to be a relaxing getaway quickly became a nightmare.
At a UK inquest into his death this week, Ben’s dad, Michael Woods, described how his son joined a game of volleyball that had been organised by the hotel, but was running late and didn’t start until after 4.30 pm. Shortly after, one of Ben’s nephews raised the alarm – Ben wasn’t breathing.
Michael rushed to the poolside, where other holidaymakers were already performing CPR. He said two lifeguards had been “messing on their phones” and were at the far end of the pool, unable to see Ben due to a bridge in the middle. Despite Ben being a confident swimmer, he’d somehow slipped under the water unnoticed.
To make matters worse, Mr Woods said the ambulance crew that arrived didn’t appear to be trained medics. He and his wife, who has 25 years of experience in healthcare, were left stunned by how ill-equipped the response was. It took 25 minutes for the ambulance to arrive, and then another half hour in the car park before they were even told how critical Ben’s condition was.
By 8pm, the news no parent wants to hear came. Ben had died.
The family says they were treated with cold detachment by both the local police and hospital staff. Mr Woods refused to sign a police statement after finding it full of inaccuracies, and claims they were refused a copy. He later found out the hotel pool didn’t even have a licence to operate, but despite this, no action has been taken.
The UK inquest heard that this wasn’t the first tragedy at that pool – it was the third reported death in five years. Witnesses on the day described a chaotic scene where lifeguards didn’t seem to know how to use a defibrillator properly. Holidaymaker Dawn Wingfield said the lifeguards were untrained and that the hotel carried on as if nothing had happened.
A post-mortem revealed Ben died of pneumonia caused by aspiration, likely from inhaling water while playing volleyball. A blood test taken months later in Cyprus showed Ben had a small amount of alcohol in his system, but the coroner made clear this played no part in his death. “He was a young man who had had a good time enjoying himself,” Coroner Timothy Brennand said. “It was a tragic accident.”
Ben’s funeral was attended by over 1,300 people. His brother Josh, a professional rugby player, called him “my best friend and my hero” in a heartbreaking tribute. Leigh East rugby club, where Ben had played since he was a boy, remembered him as someone always seen with a “cheeky smile” and promised he would never be forgotten.
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