A Russian tourist named Tatyana fell into a coma after swimming in the pool of a four-star hotel in Alanya, Turkey, her husband Mikhail told the Russian travel news portal TourDom.
Mikhail said the accident happened on September 13, 2026, at the Bieno Club SVS Hotel. He was talking with other tourists from Moldova at the hotel bar while his wife went to swim in the pool.
A few minutes later, a young woman ran up to him and told him his wife had fallen ill and that staff were trying to resuscitate her. "An ambulance arrived within five minutes and took her away," he said. "She is unconscious now, in a coma, on a ventilator."
Alanya is a resort town on Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast that draws large numbers of Russian holidaymakers each year, particularly to its beachfront hotel strip.
Insurance dispute over alcohol claim
Before the trip, the couple had taken out a travel insurance policy with a Russian insurance company. According to Mikhail, the insurer refused to cover Tatyana's treatment, citing an alleged finding of alcohol in her blood. Meanwhile, the hospital has been issuing steep bills, charging around 1,000 dollars, roughly 84,000 rubles, for each day of her care, he said.
Footage shows rescue attempt
Mikhail said he later reviewed the hotel's surveillance camera footage and saw that Tatyana went underwater about five minutes after entering the pool. One of the other guests noticed and dived in to try to pull her to the surface, and a lifeguard helped him. In total, she remained underwater for two and a half minutes, according to Mikhail.
Seeking help to bring her home
Mikhail said he has asked the Russian embassy in Turkey for help and has written to Russia's Ministry of Health. He is now trying to obtain a medical certificate from Turkish doctors confirming that his wife is fit to be transported back to Russia. By preliminary estimates, that transfer alone would cost at least one million rubles, he said.
The couple's holiday had originally been due to end on September 19, 2026. The hotel has agreed to extend Mikhail's stay for as long as necessary and has provided him with a translator and a car for trips to and from the hospital, he said.
Similar case reported in Thailand
The case follows an earlier incident reported in Thailand, where doctors reportedly refused to treat a Russian tourist who had fallen into a coma, citing an outstanding debt of one million rubles. That tourist was said to have contracted pneumonia amid an outbreak of a new coronavirus strain.
