Horrifying footage shows a young boy's final moments after his swimming ring flipped upside down while there were no adults around.
The distressing clip was recorded on CCTV, and sparks fresh safety fears about using swimming rings while children are unsupervised.
The two-year-old's mum left him unattended for six minutes while she went to the toilet.
The tragedy happened at a baby accessories shop - owned by the tot's mother - in Xuzhou District, which is in the city of Yibin in south-western China.
Mum Ms Zhao, left her son unattended for six minutes, a statement by local police said.
Video from Ms Zhao’s shop shows her tot wearing a swimming ring and standing inside on a step inside a kiddies pool.
The boy falls into the water and the ring flips upside down, leaving him flailing all four limbs in a desperate attempt to right himself.
Harrowing footage from Ms Zhao’s shop shows her boy growing increasingly weaker until he slips out of the swimming ring and floats lifeless and face down in the water.
According to police, Ms Zhao returned six minutes later and rushed her son to the New Town Community Health Health Care Service Station.
Doctors attempted to resuscitate the tot, but he was declared dead from drowning.
Yibin police are investigating the tragedy as an accident.
