"It is necessary to make sure there is a pulse, movement, and blood pressure." "The reason for survival was the cold water, which may have slowed the child’s heartbeat."

The city of Gilbert in the state of Arizona witnessed an unprecedented incident described by doctors as a "miracle," after a young child came back to life hours after being declared dead while drowning in a backyard pool during American soccer championship celebrations.

Emergency teams rushed to the house immediately after finding the child, where doctors tried to save him without success. He was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m., according to AZFamily. However, the following minutes and hours revealed a stunning turn of events when signs of life began to appear in the child after five hours. He was then airlifted to another hospital to receive necessary care, and his chances of survival appeared good.

"Hard to believe"

Dr. Frank Loficio explained that what happened is hard to believe, attributing the child’s survival to the cold water, which may have slowed the child’s heartbeat and rendered his condition nearly undetectable. He added: "It is hard to believe that a child declared dead then came back to life. It is a miracle in every sense of the word."

Loficio warned parents against quickly declaring children dead, emphasizing the necessity of ensuring the presence of a pulse, movement, and blood pressure before making any final decisions, to avoid potential tragedies.

Member of Congress from Arizona, Andy Biggs, praised the rescue teams and medical staff for their efforts, describing the event as a "true miracle," and stressed the importance of supervising children around pools. This comes as the state recalls previous drowning tragedies, most notably the death of twins in May 2024 after drowning in a backyard pool—a sad reminder of the dangers water situations pose to young children.