A four-year-old boy is in critical condition after falling into a swimming pool at a private residence in Marsaxlokk on Tuesday morning, a police statement said.

Police said that the incident happened at around 11.45am in Triq il-Port Ruman.

Emergency services, including a medical team from Mater Dei Hospital, were dispatched to the scene after authorities received a call requesting assistance.

The child was found unconscious after being pulled from the water by people who were at the residence at the time of the accident.

An ambulance took the boy to hospital, where he was later certified as being in a serious condition and admitted to intensive care.

Police investigations are ongoing. Magistrate Dr Philip Galea Farrugia has appointed a magisterial inquiry to investigate the accident.