Saturday around noon, the swimming session at Blanche sports complexin the 9th arrondissement of Paris, suddenly stopped. In the granite pool of this very chic club, the actress Nadia Fares57 years old, known to the general public for the thriller The Purple Riverswas discovered inanimate at the bottom of the water by another swimmer.
Resuscitated on site then urgently transferred to the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris, the actress was placed in a
artificial coma. His state of health is considered serious and his vital prognosis remains compromised, while the precise circumstances of this swimming pool accident which occurred on April 12, 2026 still remain unclear for investigators.
Swimming pool accident of Nadia Farès: a silent disappearance at the Blanche club
According to initial information, Nadia Farès was doing lengths with fins and a board when her behavior intrigued a swimmer. She suddenly threw off the board before diving. The man then finishes his length, turns around… and no longer sees her. No cry, no commotion, just a worrying absence in a busy pool.
He immediately dives and sees the actress curled up at the bottom, motionless. “On April 12, around noon, while swimming at the rue Blanche swimming pool, Nadia F. was brought to the surface, unconscious, after being observed by several people in a yoga position at the bottom of the water.“, the Paris prosecutor’s office told Libération. Helped by another swimmer, he hoisted her out of the water; she was no longer breathing. The witnesses began a cardiac massage, used a defibrillator, and estimated that she would have remained underwater.”between three and four minutes“, reports Le Parisien.
State of health of Nadia Farès: artificial coma and persistent worry
The Paris firefighters then took over before transporting the actress in absolute emergency to Pitié-Salpêtrière, in the 13th arrondissement. Resuscitated, Nadia Farès was placed in an artificial coma to protect her brain. This Tuesday, his condition is still considered very worrying, with a vital prognosis engaged. The prosecution indicates that “no offense has been noted at this stage”, while maintaining the investigation open.
“It is clearly a cardio-respiratory arrest with a recovery of rhythm leading to intubation and resuscitation care. specifies Doctor Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of True Medical. Regarding the circumstances, he provides some additional elements: “The question is whether the cardiac arrest was due to drowning due to lack of oxygen) or occurred during swimming and resulted in drowning. Unfortunately in these cases, the prognosis is often poor, as the brain has suffered from oxygen deprivation.“.
This tragedy occurs in a life already marked by serious health problems. In an interview with Gala, the actress recently confided: “Nobody knows it, but in 2007, I had brain surgery, because of an aneurysm that was far from small. A time bomb that needed to be addressed urgently. And in four years, I had three heart operations. We all have our ailments“. Mother of two daughters in their twenties, she was due to direct her first feature film in the fall, after a career mixing thrillers and series like Marseille, Red Shadows Or Luther.
An ongoing investigation to understand a possible silent drowning
This type of drama, sometimes referred to as silent drowningtakes place without agitation or calls for help, which is what the witnesses describe here. An investigation into the causes of the injuries was opened and entrusted to the 9th arrondissement police station. The police have already heard the swimmer who pulled the actress out of the water and will analyze the video surveillance images to precisely reconstruct the scene and check whether possible internal malfunctions at the Blanche club played a role, although no responsibility has been held for the moment.