A two-year-old boy has been rushed to hospital in a critical condition after he was found floating face-down at a public pool.
Emergency services were called to Whitlam Leisure Centre in Liverpool in Sydney's south-west on Sunday afternoon following reports a boy had been dragged unresponsive from the children's pool.
Quick-thinking swimmers Ali Ahmadi and Abbas Amiri leapt into action to save the boy after spotting him lifeless in the water.
'As soon as we walked out, I saw a baby on the water floating and I [asked my friend] 'Is it a toy or a baby?' Mr Ahmadi said.
'He said 'a baby' and [my friend] ran outside to ask the lifeguard for help and I got him out of the water and everyone came around me.
'I ran outside to ask the lifeguards for help, we took him out and everyone came around us.'
His friend Mr Amiri, a nurse visiting Australia from Sweden, performed first aid on the boy after he was pulled from the water.
A two-year-old has been rushed to hospital after a near drowning at a public pool in Liverpool
The little boy was found floating face down in the children's pool at Whitlam Leisure Centre
'He was face down and I brought him up, something yellow come from his mouth and I tried to help him as soon I came out from the water,' Mr Amiri said.
'There was nothing - around his face was black at the time... as soon as I came out of the water (with the boy) too many persons rushed forward to help the kid, they pushed me back so they could help him, but I was happy to help him.'
Four NSW Ambulance units attended the scene.
The boy's distraught mother was seen being comforted by relatives and emergency responders as paramedics stablised the boy's condition.
Distraught relatives consoled each other as paramedics stabalised the little boy
Evacuation warnings ordering patrons to leave the venue could be heard blaring in the background of footage of the incident.
'They told everyone to hop out, we all went inside and (staff) told everyone to leave,' one attendee said.
The toddler was rushed to Westmead Children's Hospital in a critical condition.
The boy's Good Samaritan rescuers said they were just relieved that they had been able to help the child.
'I'm just happy he's safe and he's alive,' Mr Ahmadi said.
Whitlam Leisure Centre was packed with visitors at the time of the near-drowning as temperatures soared to 33C.
The venue was closed shortly afterwards as NSW Police established a crime scene.
Less than three weeks ago, Whitlam Leisure Centre posted a message on its website reminding parents of young children to maintain constant adult supervision at all times in the lead up to summer.
'Most fatal drownings in young children aged 0-4 years occurred in swimming pools and bathtubs,' the message read.
The toddler was rushed to The Children's Hospital at Westmead in a critical condition
'All children and weak or non-swimmers should have constant adult supervision from parents or carers when in and around water.
'While we do have lifeguards prepared for extreme circumstances, it is important that parents and guardians are fully aware of what their children are doing at all times.
'Parents and guardians should also be on the lookout for areas of water that cannot be properly supervised, such as water with a glared surface, too much shade, or areas that are out of sight.
'These factors can prevent you from seeing what is going on in and underneath the water, therefore leading to an increased risk of accidents.'
