Two Hotel Guests Die of Suspected Electrocution in Bengaluru Conrad Pool; Electricity Inspectors Join Probe

Two foreign nationals died Friday evening, Oct. 30, in the swimming pool of the five-star Conrad hotel in Bengaluru's Ulsoor (Halasuru) area. Two people who tried to rescue them were hurt.

The dead are Alexander Maximilian Theiss, 57, a German national and Lufthansa crew member, and Juraj Horvat, 45, a Slovak citizen who worked as a project manager at IBM. Police and the hospital say both died of electrocution.

What happened in the pool

The pool is on the hotel's third floor. Hindustan Times placed the incident at around 5:30 pm Friday.

Theiss was brought to Manipal Hospital dead, said Dr Mabel Vasnaik, head of emergency medicine there. Doctors tried to resuscitate Horvat but could not save him. "The cause of death was electrocution," Dr Vasnaik said.

Mathew Desantis, 41, an American tourist staying at the hotel, and Rahul Tiwari, 28, the hotel's pool attendant and lifeguard, were injured trying to help. Desantis reportedly felt a current while swimming and got himself out. Tiwari jumped in to reach the other two.

Both are out of danger, police said. According to Dr Vasnaik, Desantis had a headache Friday, was stable Saturday and was expected to be discharged by evening. Tiwari is also stable but reported pain, and doctors planned X-rays to rule out fractures.

The investigation

A case is registered at Halasuru police station. East Bengaluru DCP Vikram Amathe told Hindustan Times on Saturday that the preliminary probe points to electrification as the cause. He said officers from the state electricity inspectorate have been tasked with the investigation.

Investigators are looking at electrical leakage, with the underwater lighting system emerging as a suspected source. The theory is that current passed into the water after the lights were switched on. Police have not confirmed it, and no official finding on the cause has been announced.

The probe is expected to cover the pool's wiring, underwater lighting equipment, maintenance records and safety arrangements, along with the hotel's technical installations. Police have not yet established the sequence of events.

The Hindu reported that police are trying to determine how the pool area came to be electrically charged. That is the central open question.

Negligence allegation and the hotel's response

The Week reported that Theiss's wife filed a complaint at the police station alleging that negligence and poor management at the hotel directly caused the deaths. It also reported that police registered a case against the hotel owner and management on that complaint. Police have not publicly detailed who is named in the case or what charges apply. The allegation is unproven.

The hotel has expressed condolences and said the cause of the tragedy remains under investigation. "We are offering our full support to their investigation," the hotel said in a statement. "Our team remains available to provide all appropriate assistance to relevant authorities as their investigation continues."

The hotel has not addressed the negligence allegation, and has not said whether the pool was open or its lights on at the time.

The victims

Lufthansa confirmed that one of its crew members died in an accident during a layover in Bengaluru. The airline offered condolences to the family and friends but declined to identify the person, citing privacy. Hindustan Times reported that several airline crew members were using the pool and that Lufthansa was arranging psychological support for affected crew.

The bodies were sent to Manipal Hospital for post-mortem examinations. The results, together with the electricity inspectorate's technical findings on the pool's wiring and lighting, will determine whether the pool's electrical system failed and who answers for it.

No charges against any individual or the hotel have been announced.