A mother whose husband and two children drowned in a pool at a resort in Costa del Sol has said reports the victims could not swim are false.

Her nine-year-old daughter, Comfort Diya, is thought to have been struggling in the water when her 16-year-old brother and father, 52, tried to rescue her.

Pastor Gabriel Diya, his daughter and his son Praise-Emmanuel Diya, 16, all fell unconscious in the pool.

An “utterly heartbroken” Olubunmi Diya said she believed “something was wrong with the pool that must have made swimming difficult for them at that point in time”.

She said: “The whole family, all five of us went to the pool together and were all present when the incident occurred. The children were not left unattended.

“We followed the instructions displayed by the poolside at all times. The children went into the pool using the steps but found themselves dragged into the middle, which was deeper and called for help when they could not get out.

The holidaymakers were found unresponsive in the water at the Club La Costa World resort (Wikimedia Commons)

“My daughter did not fall into the water. My husband went in via the steps trying to help the two struggling while I ran to the nearby apartments shouting for help to assist my husband.

“By the time assistance came, the three of them were under the water.”

This is the first time the mother has spoken out since the incident.

Hotel operator CLC World Resorts and Hotels have said that enquiries into the accident found no issues with the pool and the deaths were believed to be a “tragic accident”.

“The Guardia Civil have carried out a full investigation which found no concerns relating to the pool in question or procedures in place, which leaves us to believe this was a tragic accident which has left everyone surrounding the incident in shock,” a statement said.

The company said the father and two children were “found unresponsive” and could not be revived by hotel first-aiders or the emergency services. The pool has reportedly since re-opened.

Ms Diya added in her statement: “Our family are utterly heartbroken by the events last Tuesday, but we are comforted and strengthened by our strong faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

“We are deeply shocked, saddened and struggling to come to terms with their passing.

“They all brought a joy and love to the world and to everyone that crossed their path.

“We love them all dearly, will always remember them in our hearts and miss them greatly.”