A DISTRAUGHT father today told of his frantic efforts to save the life of his only daughter, who died in a pool accident on the Greek island of Kos.

Parents Lee and Linda Wright think two-year-old daughter Kirsty slipped and banged her head on the side of the hotel's jacuzzi-style pool.

Lee made frantic efforts to revive his only daughter before she was taken to a hospital, in Kos town, where she was pronounced dead an hour later.

Her distraught parents said today they would consider legal action against the owners of the Illios hotel, in the resort of Tingaki.

They claim there were no life guards by the hotel's two swimming pools.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents today said it had campaigned for standards throughout Europe to be as high as possible but the hotel was not legally required to have life guards.

Kirsty, who would have been three in December, died last Wednesday, just two days before the family were to fly back home. Lee and Linda had taken Kirsty and older brothers Matthew, nine, and William on a two-week break with Rossendale-based holiday company Airtours.

William celebrated his thirteenth birthday yesterday.

Lee, of Pilmuir Close, in the Higher Croft area of Blackburn, said: "Kirsty was having the time of her life on holiday.

"She had made loads of friends and touched a lot of hearts.

"William doted on her as the older brother. Kirsty went everywhere with him. It's a tragic, tragic accident."

Kirsty was with Lee, a guillotine operator at Metashear, in Whitebirk, moments before she died.

Lee said she had been playing on a trampoline before he took her for something to eat at the hotel's snack bar. He said she went off to play and was only out of view for a moment.

He said: "A girl shouted 'your daughter is in the pool.' We all rushed over and this guy pulled her out.

"I tried to give her mouth to mouth resuscitation. I tried for so long. We think she dropped her dummy and when she went to pick it up, slipped and banged her head."

Lee, 30, and 32-year-old Linda, were taken to the local police station where they spent three hours and gave a statement about what happened.

They flew home on Friday -- just hours before their scheduled flight -- to be comforted by friends and family.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been made. Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley coroner's office has requested a second post-mortem examination after one was held in Greece. The second is to be held soon at Pendlebury Children's Hospital, in Manchester and it is understood an inquest will be held at a later date.

Kirsty was the third child Lee and Linda had lost. In 1997 Katie died one-month after being born prematurely. A year later Brandon was still-born.

Linda said: "When we lost one little girl we though we would never have another. Kirsty was our little princess."

A spokesman for Airtours said an internal investigation was launched into the accident involving its own health and safety team. She added: "We can confirm that the fatality of Kirsty Wright took place.

"We are deeply saddened by this and we extend our sincerest condolences to her mother and father at what is obviously going to be a very difficult time for them."

Staff at the hotel today said a lawyer dealing with the case was unavailable and refused to comment further.

Roger Vincent of the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents said it was a tragically familiar story. He said: "In Greece it is up to the individual hotel to provide life guards. There are guidelines but not laws.

"We have continuously campaigned to bring standards up as high as possible and work with tour operators to advise them on risk management."