Thursday, June 17, 2004
Suction from a pump in the pool was too strong.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Four members of a Chicago church group -- including three children -- drowned in a downtown water park when one child jumped or slipped into a pool not designed for swimming and the others dived in to try to save her.
The Rev. Gerald M. Dew, pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, said the man and children had gone to the Fort Worth Water Gardens to play because the pool at their nearby hotel was closed.
The Rev. Mr. Dew identified those who drowned Wednesday as Myron Dukes, 35; his daughter Lauren Dukes, 8; his son Christopher Dukes, 13; and an unrelated 11-year-old girl, whose name was not released pending family notification.
The 5.4-acre water garden, across the street from the Fort Worth Convention Center, features waterfalls, plants, fountains and pools. Each minute, 19,000 gallons of water courses through the garden, according to the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Center.
No swimming allowed
Dot Kent, a spokeswoman for the city of Fort Worth, said "no swimming" signs are posted in the park and near the pool. She said she understood that the little girls had on swimsuits when their bodies were recovered.
Witness accounts varied on what happened. Apparently, Lauren Dukes jumped or slipped into the water. The other girl fell in when she tried to reach in and help her. Lauren's father and brother then jumped in to try to save the girls.
A pump at the bottom of the pool that pulls water to a waterfall apparently created a suction that made rescues difficult, Fire Department spokesman Lt. Kent Worley said.
"A young person would not have the strength or the knowledge of how to get away from it," he said.
Jesse Spann, one of the church's deacons, said there are no barriers around the area and that steps lead down to the swirling pool. "As a child, when you see a waterfall, you think you can go play and swim there," he said.
Witness's account
One witness, Christian Tillis, 14, was standing at the top of the fountain area with his brother and friend when they saw the girls go into the water.
"I dived in after them. I felt a little-bitty hand, but it slipped out," Christian said. "And then I had to get out because I couldn't breathe."
All four victims were in town for the five-day National Baptist Sunday School convention. At the hotel, church members gathered in a conference room to hug, cry and pray. Gospel hymns played on a tape recorder.
Worley said the Water Gardens would remain closed until police finish investigating the drownings. A memorial ceremony was planned for today at the park.
Designed by architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee, the gardens are free to enter and a common refuge from hot Texas days. Worley said in the park's 30-year history, "we have never had an incident such as this."
Standing before his teary-eyed church members in the hotel conference room, Mr. Dew struggled to find the words that would console his flock after the tragedy.
"The word that God told me to tell them was that he's still in charge and he's still in control, and that we only see the beginning, but God sees the beginning and the end, so we have to just hope in him," Mr. Dew said.