An 11-year-old girl has died on a British theme park ride in an accident tragically similar to last year’s Dreamworld disaster.
The girl reportedly stood up while riding the Splash Canyon ride and toppled overboard into a metre and a half deep water.
The Australian reports the girl was on a school trip with friends at the Drayton Manor Park in Tamworth.
The girl’s distraught friends were in tears while emergency service workers attempted to resuscitate her. She was flown to Birmingham Children’s Hospital but died shortly after arrival.
The student was in Year 6 at Jameah Girl’s Academy, an independent Islamic school, News.com.au reports. In a statement, the school said they were offering “support to pupils and staff” and asked for “time to grieve”.
Drayton Manor company director George Bryan said employees at the park were “truly shocked and devastated, and our thoughts are with the family and friends at this tremendously difficult time”.
Promotion of The Splash Canyon ride at the park says: “Swerve around corners, splash through the waves, and get soaked as your boat is swept along our fast-flowing rapids.
A UK Health and Safety Executive spokesman said it was “making initial inquiries along with emergency services”.
Last October, four people were killed on Dreamworld’s Thunder River Rapids ride at the Gold Coast after their raft flipped over and they were trapped in a conveyer belt.
