Waterworld: Girl, 4, dies after shock 'incident' at UK's biggest indoor water park

A four-year-old girl has died after being found unconscious at the UK's biggest indoor water park.

Emergency services were called to Waterworld in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, after the youngster was found in a critical condition at 4.20pm today. Lifeguards, staff and paramedics treated the girl at the poolside in the Lagoon area of the aqua park before she was taken to hospital. Despite the best efforts of hospital staff, the child, who has not been identified, tragically died a short while later. Staffordshire Police said the girl’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.

Detective Chief Inspector Lucy Maskew said: “Our thoughts are with the family at this terribly sad time. We are now making enquiries and looking to establish the circumstances of the incident. We would ask that members of the public avoid speculating in these early stages of the investigation and allow the family to grieve.”

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A Waterworld spokesperson said on social media: "Waterworld is deeply saddened to confirm that a fatal incident occurred at 4:15pm on Monday, August 4th, in the Lagoon area of the Aqua Park.

"A girl of 4 years old was found unconscious and treated on poolside by our lifeguard & management teams on site. They immediately provided CPR and called the emergency services, who arrived around 4:20pm.

"All other visitors were asked to quietly leave the pool out of respect for the rescue operation underway, and we would like to thank them for their support and collaboration. It is with great sadness that we learned of this young girl’s passing later this evening.

"All our thoughts are with her family and loved ones during these extremely difficult times. The authorities were immediately alerted and Waterworld is working closely and openly with them to precisely understand the circumstances of this tragic accident.

"Waterworld is in shock and has decided to remain closed tomorrow out of respect for the young girl’s family. If you have an online booking for tomorrow we will be refunding your tickets automatically tomorrow morning, you do not need to contact us in that regard.

"This can take up to 5 days to reach your account - we would appreciate it if you could refrain from contacting us during that time, as we focus on supporting our team members and the investigation into today's incident."

In a statement issued via police a Waterworld spokesperson added: “It is with great sadness that we learned of this little girl’s passing this evening.

"All our thoughts are with her family and loved ones during these extremely difficult times. Waterworld is in shock and has decided to remain closed tomorrow out of respect for the family. Waterworld is working closely with the authorities at this sad time.”

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has knowledge of it is asked to call police on 101 quoting incident number 460 of August 4.

The water park, which opened in 1989, attracts around 400,000 visitors each year and boasts three pools and 20 slides.