The parents of a five-year-old autistic boy who drowned in a hotel swimming pool during a Christmas trip to Disneyland Paris is due to be laid to rest today.
Colum Canning fell into a pool at the Explorers Hotel close to the Disney and his parents, Karen Canning and David Bradley from Derry, have questioned why a lifeguard was not attending the pool at the time.
"Colum was just a typical wee boy who was so happy, so loving and so full of energy," the couple said in a statement.
"Although he suffered from autism he was such a smart child, a real thinker who may not have been able to communicate like others but certainly knew everything that was going on.
"Christmas was always such a special time for us as a family and all the children were so excited at this time of year, with the boys celebrating their birthday on St Stephen's Day."
Staff at the Thomas Cook-owned three-star Explorers Hotel close to the Disney resort confirmed there was no lifeguard on duty when Colum fell into the water after disappearing from his mother's view shortly after the family arrived at the venue last Thursday.
The boy was discovered in the water by another guest who jumped in and dragged him out, but he had already lost consciousness.
Colum died in hospital on Saturday after his parents took the decision to switch his life-support machine off. They agreed to donate their son's organs.
The family had left their Hawthorne Grove home off the Springtown Road in the Creggan area of the city to spend Christmas in Disneyland.
They paid tribute to Colin McEwan who tried to save Colum, Sue Wheal who administered CPR, while they also thanked the hospital staff and Fr Aiden Troy, a priest who recently moved from Belfast to Paris, for their kindness and support.
Colum will be buried in Derry and his family have asked the media to respect their privacy and stay away.
PA