Heartbreak for parents after their toddler drowns in backyard pool

A one-year-old girl tragically drowned in her family’s backyard pool on Wednesday evening.

Little Octavia Rothnie was pulled from the water when she was found floating face-down just before 8pm, the Daily Mail reports.

Her parents, Darren and Rachel, performed CPR until emergency services arrived, however the little girl died on the way to Nepean Hospital.

NSW Ambulance acting superintendent Jordan Emery said Octavia’s parents did everything right by calling for help, and were ably assisted by call centre staff until paramedics arrived on the scene.

“They received excellent first aid advice from our call centre staff... it's not foolproof, early CPR does not always result in the outcomes that we might hope for,” he said.

Police are currently investigating the circumstances leading up to Octavia’s death. It is not thought the family were in the pool at the time of the incident.

Just two hours earlier, a four-year old boy was pulled from the water on the Central Coast where he was swimming with friends and family members.

The boy remains in critical condition at The Children’s Hospital and after being flown by CareFlight helicopter from the beach.

A 21-year-old man is also missing after going swimming in the Murray River at Albury at around 7pm on Wednesday.

Superintendent Emery said: “These incidents happen in seconds and there is frankly a myth that drownings are noisy dramatic incidents, in fact they're silent.”

For more information on water safety, visit watersafety.nsw.gov.au