Infant Drowns in Aunt’s Pool in Santa Ana : Accident: Boy and his parents had been on vacation from their El Centro home. His death brings to 5 the number of children who have drowned in Orange County pools this year.

A 23-month-old boy whose family was on vacation drowned Sunday after falling into his aunt’s swimming pool, an official of the county coroner’s office said.

Roberto Camacho was found motionless at the bottom of the pool after family members noticed that he had been missing for about 15 minutes, the coroner’s official said.

One family member pulled the infant from the pool and tried to resuscitate him as another called for paramedics.

“We got the call from the mother, and she was hysterical,” said a dispatcher with the Santa Ana Fire Department.

The aunt, who declined to give her name, said that Roberto and his parents were on vacation from El Centro and had spent the week at her home. She said the family was preparing to return to their home when the accident occurred.

Pete Martinez, 37, who lives next door to the scene of the accident in the 700 block of South Gates Street, said he heard a woman scream about 12:15 p.m. and peered over his brick wall to see what had happened.

He said he saw a man giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation to the child.

Martinez said he also “saw a bunch of balloons and a great big colorful beach ball floating on the water . . . I think the baby was trying to get to them.”

Martinez said the family had a party Saturday night and the balloons were part of the celebration’s decorations. There was no fence around the pool, he said.

When paramedics arrived, they continued efforts to revive the boy as they transported him to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center.

Roberto, who would have turned 2 next month, was pronounced dead about an hour later, the coroner’s official said.

Police, who also responded to the emergency call, did not release any information on the drowning.

Drowning is the leading cause of death among Orange County children between ages 1 and 4, according the county’s public health officer, L. Rex Ehling, who last month warned parents and others supervising young children to be alert to the risk of drowning.

On average, about 70 to 100 children are involved in near-drowning incidents each year, Ehling said. Five children, including Roberto, have drowned in pools in Orange County this year.

Last month, a child-care center being operated in a Stanton home was closed by state officials after an 18-month-old girl drowned. The girl, Ariel Nicole Moon, apparently wandered into the back yard after a nap and fell into the pool.

Doctors were able to resuscitate her, but she slipped into a coma and was kept alive only by life-support equipment. She died a day after the May 7 incident, when she was taken off life-support systems.

Times staff writer Lily Dizon contributed to this report.