A three-year-old girl is in a critical condition after being found floating face down in a swimming pool in Durban on Tuesday morning, paramedics said.

"The girl is lucky to be alive. The quick thinking and pertinent actions of those who found her are to thank," Netcare 911 spokesman Jeff Wicks said.

The child was under the supervision of a domestic worker at her parent's home when she fell into the water.

"It is thought that the child had been playing near the pool throughout the morning. She was found floating face down and once pulled from the water, her rescuers started cardiopulmonary resuscitation."
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