Northern Territory Police are investigating the accidental drowning of a four-year-old boy in a backyard swimming pool on Saturday afternoon.
Emergency services were called to the Palmerston address at 3.30pm after the boy was found “unresponsive” in the water.
In a statement, a police spokesperson said the boy was “extracted from the water and CPR was commenced”.
“Police and St John Ambulance attended and continued CPR; however, he was pronounced deceased at the scene,” they said.
Police say investigations are ongoing and that a report will be prepared for the coroner.
While the number of drownings per year have decreased in recent times, the issue still remains prevalent across the territory.
Data from Royal Life Saving Australia shows with five drownings in 2023-24, the NT had the highest rate of drowning deaths per 100,000 people of all Australian states and territories.
All of those deaths were of adults, and two out of the five people who drowned that financial year were in swimming pools.