11-year-old girl dies after falling off water ride at UK theme park
She was airlifted to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
— -- An 11-year-old girl died Tuesday after falling off a water ride at a theme park in England, police said.
First responders were called to Drayton Manor in Staffordshire at 2:20 p.m. local time after the girl fell into the water, according to Staffordshire Police. The girl had been pulled from the water by park staff before authorities arrived.
She was airlifted to the Birmingham Children's Hospital, where she died shortly upon arrival, police said.
Trained park staff were immediately on the scene after they were alerted that the 11-year-old had entered the water, said George Bryan, director of the Drayton Manor theme park.
"It is with great sadness that we have to report that a young girl has passed away at Birmingham Children's Hospital following an incident on one of our rides this afternoon," Bryan said in a statement. "We are all truly shocked and devastated and our thoughts are with the her family and friends at this tremendously difficult time."
According to the BBC, the girl was riding Splash Canyon, described on the park's website as a "unpredictable" and "thrilling" river rapid ride. The ride opened in 1993.
On Twitter, the park said Splash Canyon had been closed following "an incident."
The girl was at Drayton Manor on a school trip, the BBC reported. Her death is thought to be the first at a U.K. theme park since 2004.
The United Kingdom's Health and Safety Executive has been informed of the incident.
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