Previous calls for Sloterplas beach guard ignored: Amsterdam Rescue Brigade

The Amsterdam Rescue Brigade previously called on Amsterdam district Nieuw-West to put a beach guard at Sloterplas, chairman Walter Weg said to the Telegraaf. A 5-year-old girl drowned in the Sloterplas on Sunday.

According to Weg, safety at the Sloterplas beach has long been a concern, especially when the beach gets busy in warm weather. "We warned about this and submitted a plan for a beach guard at the Sloter beach. That was placed on the back burner, because the district indicated that there was no policy for surveillance on open water", he said to the newspaper.

Emergency services responded to Sloterplas on Sunday afternoon after a 5-year-old girl went missing. Bystanders and first responders immediately launched a search for the girl. She was pulled from the water a short time later. Paramedics tried to resuscitate her, but it was to no avail. The girl was pronounced dead at the hospital.