DISTRESSING CONTENT: The parents of a two-year-old boy said he tragically died after going into shallow water on a beach, during their dream family holiday – they share a warning to other parents
Vladimir ‘Vova’ Yakubanets plays on beach prior to his death
A two-year-old boy’s heartbroken family revealed how their young son died after suffering a horrific box jellyfish sting, at a popular holiday resort.
Vladimir ‘Vova’ Yakubanets was stung by the jellyfish – known for their potent venom – while in shallow water and cried out for help. The tot was rushed to hospital, in Langkawi, Malaysia, on Wednesday but sadly died four days after the horror attack, which also left him with horrifying lesions on his skin. The family, from Khabarovsk in Russia, had gone to Chenang Beach a day after arriving for their dream first holiday, Vova’s dad said.
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The dad, Nikita Yakubanets, 32, said: “When it happened, he was in shallow water near the shore. He suddenly cried out. My wife took him out of the water and handed him to me before going to get a cloth to clean his leg.
“At that moment, my son stopped breathing. I tried giving CPR. Other tourists came to help. They took us to the first responders, but they only cleaned the wound with vinegar before sending us to a clinic, and from there, straight to the hospital.”
The bereft father said he was shocked and claimed the first responders were unable to do more for his son at the beach. Antivenin, a treatment to help stop the effects of venom after an attack, was not available so the two-year-old had to be transported to a hospital 90 miles away.
A Langkawi civil defence spokesman said: “The child was brought to the hospital by family members in a near-lifeless state. He was successfully resuscitated after two hours. The hospital also had to obtain antivenom from Penang.”
Vova was moved to a major hospital but sadly died after complications from the sting.
Nikita and wife Olga, 32, said they will not be taking legal action for negligence but wanted their son’s death to act as a warning of the risks posed by marine species.
The dad said: “We believe this was the purpose of his life — to save others, to prevent future tragedies. Vladimir was very kind, very smart. We were a happy family.”
Olga said they wanted their son’s passing to have meaning. She added: “Our son is our hero. He is our little angel. Every day we told him we loved him, and he always said he loved us too.”
Vova died at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah in Alor Staron, on the mainland. His dad recalled: “The doctor said that our child was poisoned by a jellyfish, then his heart stopped. The doctor also said our child had very big injuries on his legs.”
Mum Olga said she and her husband will cremate Vladimir and take his ashes back to Russia.
