The youngster was on holiday with her parents just off the resort’s well-known Golden Mile which runs between Marbella and Puerto Banus.
She and her family were thought to have been coming to the end of a month-long break when the tragedy occurred on Saturday. The alarm was sounded at around 10.30am.
She was already out of the water when emergency responders arrived. They tried to resuscitate her but were unable to save her life.
A post-mortem examination has yet to take place but police sources said everything is pointing to the girl’s death being the result of a tragic accident.
The street where the incident occurred – San Joaquin Street – is between a petrol station and a supermarket popular with British holidaymakers and is a five-minute walk from the beach.
One local report said it had happened at a pool belonging to a private villa. Most of the properties in the road are believed to be gated residential apartment blocks with communal swimming pools.
Just a few hours later a five-year-old boy who was on holiday with his parents drowned near the resort of Silves in the Algarve, Portugal.
He was pronounced dead after being pulled out of the water at a private villa in a resort known as the Amendoeira near the historic town of Silves.
The alarm was sounded just after 4.30pm on Saturday. Emergency responders endeavoured to resuscitate the boy, who had been playing with two brothers, but were unable to save his life.
Police have launched a routine investigation but say everything is pointing towards the death being the result of a tragic accident.