A grieving mom has issued a warning after her two children drowned while playing a viral pool game.
Now that summer is well and truly in full swing, more and more people are heading outside to enjoy themselves in the ocean or garden pools.
Whether it be playing games or just simply relaxing in the water, it's perhaps one of the best ways to beat the heat and have a bit of fun during this time of year.
However, as with anything, it also comes with dangerous risks.
Brittney McWhite was left devastated after she saw two of her children laying "at the bottom of [a] pool" after turning away for a few minutes while the pair were playing a game of Marco Polo.
The game, which has gone viral recently, sees children holding their breath underwater while playing a game of tag, but tragically there were fatal consequences for little London Marie, 11, and Wadale, 14 as a result.
Speaking to FOX 29, the heartbroken mother recalled the harrowing incident that occurred on Memorial Day weekend.
"When we got there, I was like, okay I'll help set up the food. Kids were playing in the pool," Brittney said. "They were playing a game where you go down Marco Polo and you hold your breath."
The mom, who has four other children, then went to check on her kids to see how they were doing but was shocked to discover them unresponsive at the bottom of the pool
"I was looking around or whatever I saw the water. I didn't see nobody," she recalled, adding that her children had good swimming skills."They weren't in there for more than like three, four minutes. And then they called their names. I say, I don't think they were playing when they jumped in.
"They were at the bottom of the pool," Brittney added.
The two children were pulled out of the water and given immediate medical attention, but they still remained unresponsive.
They were rushed to hospital where they were put on life support machines but there was no improvement on their condition.
That's when Brittany and the children's father were forced to make a tough decision.
"Keeping my child hooked onto a machine for the rest of their life is not ideally what any parent should want for their children, so today I and dad decided to end life support," the mom said as per the the Mirror.
In the wake of the tragedy, Brittany has given a warning to other parents advising them that they should keep an eye on their kids regardless of the situation.
"Always have a set of eyes," she said. "Prevent your kids from playing games and make sure the pool is safe. If it doesn't look right, don't do it because once you lose your child, it is hard."
The Royal Society of Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA), urge parents to make sure they put in safe measures before taking children swimming.
This includes making sure they can swim, round the clock supervision and making sure there are buoyancy aids at hand such as armbands, rings, and life jackets.
