A terrifying video shared on social media has sparked an urgent warning to parents about the dangers of inflatable swimming arm bands.
Katya Ileri, a mum from Turkey, was spending a sunny day on the water with her family when the unthinkable occurred.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Little girl disappears into the sea after floaties slip off in jump.
For more Lifestyle related news and videos check out Lifestyle >>
The day had been going well, with the children in her family jumping from a boat into the water below.
But then her young daughter wanted to join in on the fun.
“My daughter was happy and wanted to jump (in) with the (other) children,” the mum said in a now-viral Instagram video.
She was equipped with inflatable arm bands, or floaties, so viewers of the video assumed she would float when hitting the water.
A man dangled the little girl over the edge of the boat before giving her a kiss on the check and dropping her into the water.
But as she hit the water, the child put her arms in the air and the bands flew off.
They were left floating on top of the water – as the youngster quickly disappeared below.
The footage then cuts off.
The video quickly went viral, gaining more than 6.5 million likes.
However, many were left in shock, horrified by what they were seeing.
“I cannot find this video funny! This is horrible,” one person wrote.
Others flocked to the post to share warnings over the flotation devices.
“Never use arm floats on children. Ever,” one wrote.
“Perfect example of a product design getting worse through the years,” another said.
“When I was a kid, water wings would graft themselves to your arm.”
In a follow up post, the child’s mother explained that she was ok after the incident, and that sunscreen her daughter was wearing could have caused the arm bands to slip off.
She added that her daughter knew how to swim, and was fine.
“She’s already swimming and swam by herself,” the mum wrote.
“Dad was in the sea nearby at the time of the jump.
“The child (lives) by the sea and is constantly in the water.”
Floaties warning
Littlefish swim school, a children’s swimming school in Queensland, has warned against the use of floaties and arm bands.
On its website, it advises to “avoid using them on children in the water” for a number of reasons, such as how easily they can slip off or deflate.
Another reason includes putting the child’s body “in a vertical position which is not the correct position for learning how to swim or float properly”.
“They keep a child up vertically high in the water so when they go to swim in the correct horizontal position they usually resist it and are unfamiliar with having their face under the water,” the website warning reads.
The site also warned that floaties could delay a child’s swimming progress and “instil a false sense of security”.
This can also be the case for adults who “often feel their child is safe in the water” with arm bands or floaties.
“But a lot of things can go wrong. Adult supervision is essential,” the site advises.
“The Royal Life Saving Society guidelines are – always be in the water and within arm’s reach of a child under 5 years or a non-swimmer, constant supervision for 6-10 year olds and regular check on 11-14 year olds.”
For more engaging lifestyle content, visit 7Life on Facebook.
