This is the viral moment a lifeguard’s quick response saves the life of a small child silently drowning in front of a group of cheerfully unaware swimmers.

In the video, which has notched up at least 2.5 million views online, the young girl, with a pink swimming cap, can be seen getting into a pool when a woman who appears to be responsible for the child turns her back for a moment.

Suddenly the child’s head dips under the surface and we see her submerged for a few seconds before a lifeguard jumps into the pool and heroically lifts her out of the water, much to the surprise of the woman who can be seen standing less than a metre away from the scene.

The incident took place at the Zargorze swimming pool in the city of Sosnowiec in the Dabrowa Basin region of southern Poland, according to Sosnowiec Mayor Arkadiusz Checinski, who shared the footage on Saturday, 27th August.

Checinski posted the footage on social media, where it has since notched up over 2.5 million views, along with a warning.

He said: “From the point of view of an ordinary observer, the difference between fooling around in the water or having fun and fighting for one’s life may not be noticeable.

He went on to urge parents and caretakers to always pay close attention to bathing children.

He added: “Caretakers are not always able to notice a drowning child, because they usually do not scream.”

The unnamed child is reported to be in a healthy condition.

Drowning is the third main cause of unintentional deaths worldwide while children under five are reported to be at greatest risk.