"They hope that those responsible will be criminally prosecuted and punished," Matteo Brandimarti's family's attorney tells PEOPLE
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NEED TO KNOW
- Matteo Brandimarti was staying at the upscale Duca di Montefeltro Hotel in Pennabilli, Italy, in the Province of Rimini, on April 5 when he was reportedly sucked into the filter of a jacuzzi
- After being pinned under three feet of water for five minutes, he was airlifted to a nearby hospital
- Brandimarti was 12 years old, and was pronounced brain dead days later on April 9
A boy died after being sucked into the filter of a jacuzzi at an upscale Italian hotel on Easter Sunday.
Matteo Brandimarti was staying at the upscale Duca di Montefeltro Hotel in Pennabilli, Italy, in the Province of Rimini, on April 5 when the tragic accident in the hotel's spa occurred, per The Sun. He was 12 years old.
The incident occurred at 10:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, when Brandimarti's leg was "sucked into the nozzle while the hydromassage function was on," the outlet reports, citing Rimini authorities. Hotel staff allegedly intervened and turned off the jacuzzi, and a helicopter promptly airlifted the young boy to a local hospital for emergency treatment.
He was placed on life support after being trapped under three feet of water for five minutes before he was able to be released from the suction, according to Italian outlet Il Resto del Carlino.
Brandimarti was pronounced brain dead on Thursday, April 9, per the Italian media outlet.
A student at Curzi Middle School, principal Melania Martellacci called him "a lively boy, interested in life, and beloved by his classmates," according to Il Resto del Carlino.
"Matteo's death is a huge loss for the community," Parish priest Don Ulderico, said of Brandimarti, per the outlet. "He was an intelligent, capable, helpful, curious, and always present child."
Umberto Gramenzi, the attorney representing the victim's family, tells PEOPLE that an on-site inspection is scheduled to be conducted at the hotel on May 13.
The inspection will be conducted by "The technical consultants who performed the autopsy on the child's body, in order to examine the location where the incident took place," Gramenzi says.
Gramenzi tells PEOPLE that the jacuzzi the child died in had a depth of 80 centimeters.
"There appears to have been negligence on the part of the hotel facility due to a malfunction in the pool's suction system," says. Authorities do not suspect foul play at the time of publication.
"It is considered a crime of negligence due to carelessness, imprudence, lack of competence, and failure to comply with regulations regarding pool operations," Gramenzi claims, adding that the hotel owner, the manager, and the pool maintenance worker on shift at the time of Brandimarti's death are under investigation. Police are reportedly investigating three unidentified persons on accusations of negligent homicide according to outlets including Rai News and Sky.
Gramenzi adds that the victim's family is coping with his death "with great dignity."
"The child's organs were donated to six other children," Gramenzi says. "They hope that those responsible will be criminally prosecuted and punished."
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PEOPLE has reached out to the Prosecutor's Office, Rimini Police, and Duca di Montefeltro Hotel.
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