4-Year-Old Girl Dies After ‘Fatal Incident’ at Waterpark

A 4-year-old girl has died following a tragic accident at a well-known waterpark in the U.K.

Staffordshire Police were called to Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent around 4:20 p.m. local time on Monday, August 4, after receiving reports that a young girl was in critical condition, according to a statement from police.

Waterworld staff stated on Facebook that the incident occurred in the Lagoon area of the Aqua Park at approximately 4:15 p.m. The girl was found unconscious and received immediate attention from on-site staff, who performed CPR and contacted emergency services. During the rescue attempt, all other guests were asked to leave the pool area.

Theme park staff and the West Midlands Ambulance Service provided emergency treatment at the scene before transporting the child to a nearby hospital. Despite the medical team’s best efforts, she was later pronounced dead.

Authorities confirmed the girl’s family has been informed and is being supported by specially trained officers.

“Our thoughts are with the family at this terribly sad time,” said Detective Chief Inspector Lucy Maskew of Staffordshire Police. “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.”

A spokesperson for Waterworld expressed condolences: “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.” The park also stated it is cooperating fully with authorities.

Waterworld, which promotes itself as the U.K.’s “No.1 tropical indoor aqua park,” will remain closed on Tuesday, August 5, according to both its Facebook page and official website.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or may have relevant information is asked to call 101 and reference incident number 460 of August 4.