A four-year-old girl died in hospital after being found ‘unresponsive and submerged in water’ at a water park, an inquest has heard.
The girl, who has now been named as Vethavalli Vasu-Dharma, was visiting Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent last week (August 4) when she got into difficulty in the water.
Lifeguards and other water park staff rushed to her aid after she was found by another member of the public, but Vethavalli was pronounced dead at Royal Stoke University Hospital that evening.
The inquest into her death was opened and adjourned at Stoke Town Hall earlier today.
All other visitors were asked to leave the pool while lifeguards tried to help Vethavalli, Waterworld said in a statement published on Facebook.
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The statement added: ‘It is with great sadness that we learned of the 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.’
The water park has since reopened, but Stoke-on-Trent city council said its environmental health team is working with police and the venue to ‘undertake a full health and safety investigation’, the BBC reports.
Several floral tributes and cuddly toys have been left outside the water park.
In a statement released last week, Detective Inspector Lucy Maskew said: ‘We are now making inquiries and looking to establish the circumstances of the incident.’
She urged members of the public not to speculate in these early stages of the investigation and ‘allow the family of the girl to grieve.’
West Yorkshire Police has asked any witnesses who haven’t already spoken with them to get in touch.
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