A British teenager has drowned in a hotel swimming pool while on holiday in Turkey.

It is thought the 14-year-old was part of a wedding party at the all-inclusive Liberty Lara Beach hotel in Antalya.

He was swimming with his aunt in the hotel pool when he got into difficulty on Sunday afternoon, according to The Sun.

The newspaper said the five-star hotel is being investigated by police over allegations that a lifeguard was on their lunch break at the time, which the hotel denies.

A hotel spokesperson told The Sun: “It is with a heavy heart that one of our young guests sadly passed away yesterday while swimming with his aunt in our main pool.

“At this moment in time, our prayers and thoughts go out to the family and loved ones who are currently residing in our hotel.”

“The sad, tragic loss of a young life is both devastating and shattering for the family, close relatives and loved ones. Out of respect for the family, we would like to refrain from making any comment about the incident until we receive the outcome of the autopsy.”

When asked about allegations that there was no lifeguard on duty at the time of the incident, the spokesperson said it was ‘categorically untrue’. They said CCTV cameras located around the pool area have been viewed by local police, adding that lifeguards were on the scene ‘within 30 seconds’.

“In accordance with the rules and regulations regarding the lifeguards we have stationed at all of our pools, water slide splash pools, observation tower on the beach and on the pier, when a lifeguard takes a lunch break, another lifeguard will take his or her place.

“We have one additional lifeguard over the numbers required to ensure that the pools are not left unattended when a lifeguard takes a lunch break,” added the hotel spokesperson.

Liberty Lara has five swimming pools, including one with a water slide. The holiday package had been booked through TUI. A spokesperson told Travel Gossip: “We are aware of the tragic incident at the Liberty Lara in Turkey and our thoughts are with the family. Our team in resort is currently supporting the family and we will continue to assist in whatever way we can. The safety and wellbeing of our customers is our primary concern and our dedicated resort team is supporting the authorities and hotel with their investigations.”