Tragedy as volleyball prodigy Simona Cinà dies aged 20 in swimming accident

A volleyball player has died in a swimming pool at a graduation party.

Simona Cinà was dancing near the DJ booth at the private villa on Saturday August 2 at 3.20am, but by 4am, party guests found her lying lifeless at the bottom of the pool. Revellers jumped in to desperately give Simona, 20, CPR while emergency services arrived.

But the university student was declared dead at the scene in Bagheria, Sicily, at 5am. The Termini Imerese Prosecutor's Office said everyone who was interviewed as a witness "fully cooperated". It comes following a similar tragedy in Little Thurrock, Essex, where a dead body was found in an "underground ancient cave".

Simona's devastated family paid tribute to the volleyball prodigy yesterday. Her father, Luciano, told local media: "Simona was an athlete - she was like a fish in water. We just want to know what happened."

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Simona's twin sister, Roberta, and older brother, Gabriele, added: "Something clearly doesn't add up. We knew Simona - she wasn't someone who would just drown in a pool.

"She surfed, did all kinds of water sports. It's hard to believe she wouldn't have been able to handle herself in deep water. She was health-conscious, had regular check-ups, and the clubs she played for always required medical certificates."

Simona, originally from Capaci, Sicily, was a promising volleyball player. She had played for years with ACDS Capacense before switching to beach volleyball, with her former club describing her as "beautiful inside and out".

Simona was in her third year of a sports science degree at the University of Palermo. Investigators believe Simona most likely suffered an accident or a sudden illness.

President Edoardo Cammilleri of the Italian Volleyball Federation in Palermo said: "We are stunned by this loss; there are simply no words."

It comes after a footballer tragically died of a heart attack after collapsing during a match. Enzo Pittau - dad to a baby girl - became visibly weak on the pitch and lost his footing numerous times before he collapsed to the ground.

The 35-year-old man was rushed to a local hospital where it was found that he had suffered a cardiac arrest. He fell ill 41 minutes into the first half of the game, which took place on June 1. Enzo played for Don Orione, and his team were playing in the second leg of the Argentinian Federativo tournament's second phase against Club Unión.

Just hours before his death, he shared a message online which related to the football match. Enzo wrote: "The faith and God in between. Today we play with soul and life."