How British-Nigerian, friend drowned in Portugal hotel pool hours after arrival

Tragedy hit in Portugal when British-Nigerian man King Edonmi, aged 29, and his friend Mo, aged 27, drowned in a hotel pool within less than 24 hours of their arrival in Albufeira resort town.

The two men, who had traveled from Ipswich together, were discovered dead at the bottom of the pool around 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, said local media. Emergency services was rushed to the scene but could not revive.

The friends of the victims have referred to them as “gentle, kind-hearted souls who light up a room wherever they go.”

Awande Luthuli, a close friend, told local media that King and Mo “were not typical party tourists,” stressing they lived by strong values and did not drink alcohol.

A police source dismissed reports that the men were intoxicated, saying the deaths were likely due to the design of the pool and the fact that neither of the men could swim.
“It is a very weird swimming pool,” the source said. “It has shallow water in most areas but a deep section of about three metres in the middle. Everything points to a terrible accident.”

The friends reportedly got into trouble after stepping into the deep section shortly after chatting with some women by the pool.

Post-mortem examinations have been conducted but results are not made public yet.

The UK Foreign Office has also confirmed that it is collaborating with the Portuguese authorities and assisting the grieving families.