Evha Jannath, 11, fell off a circular boat on the Splash Canyon ride at the Drayton Manor theme park around 2:20 p.m. She was pulled from the water by park staff then taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to the BBC.
"Words cannot describe the pain and loss we feel,” her family said in a statement. “We are devastated that we will not see our beautiful little girl again.”
Update: Following an incident @DraytonManor, we can confirm that an 11-year-old girl has died this afternoon. https://t.co/jXJccxy31D
— Staffordshire Police (@StaffsPolice) May 9, 2017
The ride, which opened in 1993, is being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive.
HSE has been made aware of today's incident at #draytonmanor and making initial inquiries along with emergency services.
— HSE (@H_S_E) May 9, 2017
The park remained closed the following day in observance of her death. Her school, the Jameah Academy, was also closed.
“(Evha was a) lovely, sweet-natured girl (who) was loved by everyone at the school,” head teacher Erfana Bora said.
Splash Canyon has been closed following an incident this afternoon. Emergency services & our fully trained park staff are assisting. pic.twitter.com/Fkji90Nwjs
— Drayton Manor (@Draytonmanor) May 9, 2017
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