Waterworld where four-year-old girl died 'had strongest wave pool I've felt', says mother who was there on tragic day
Staffordshire Police were called to Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent on Monday to reports of a girl in a critical condition.
The child was rushed to hospital for further treatment but sadly passed away a short while later.
Parents of children who had been at the 'lagoon area of the aqua park' where the tragic event took place have since spoken out, sharing their 'heartbreak'.
A mother, who took her three children to the waterpark that day told the Telegraph she had never been to one with such a strong wave pool.
The parent, who did not wish to be named, had attended with her husband and three children, aged 11, five and three.
She described 'struggling to remain' on her feet due to the 'strength' of the current, adding she had used wave pools before but 'never experienced one that forceful'.
'As an adult, I did not feel confident keeping my younger children safe there, and made the decision to remove them. My husband remained with our 11-year-old, who is a strong swimmer, but even he was struggling to stay above water.
'Although lifeguards were positioned at key points, I found it very difficult to maintain visibility of my children in the children's area,' she added.
The mother went on to say there had been a 'number of slides and structures' blocking sight lines and that she lost sight of her five-year-old 'several times' while managing her 'three-year-old'.
She said her daughter had wandered towards the wave pool on more than one occasion and she had to remind her not to enter the water alone and to stay near the orange and green slides and wait if she could not see her.
Another woman described the moment she saw the little girl on the floor and recalled having to leave as her own girl did not want to see it and as her children were 'afraid'.
And a different local said the venue had been 'crowded' on the day, adding she thought there were 'not enough lifeguards'.
The attendee said they were not sure exactly what had happened but was aware of wave machines that are 'quite choppy' and the need to be a 'strong swimmer'.
They added it was a 'complete tragedy'.
Another resident said it was 'heartbreaking' while customer Heather Neville, 33, of Stone, Staffordshire, described finding the site closed following the girl's death after she arrived with her two sons.
She said it was 'absolutely dreadful' and said she was unsure as to whether she could bring her boys back when the waterpark reopens.
The typhoon lagoon wave pool is indicated on a map of the water park - where artificial waves reach heights of 1.4 metres.
Toddlers are permitted to go in but only 'strong swimmers' can use the deep end. Non-swimmers are instructed to remain in shallow water, according the company's website.
A Waterworld spokesman said: 'It is with great sadness that we learned of this little girl's passing. All our thoughts are with her family and loved ones during these extremely difficult times. Waterworld is working closely with the authorities.
'All other visitors were asked to quietly leave the pool out of respect for the rescue operation under way, and we would like to thank them for their support and collaboration.'
West Midlands Ambulance Service stated it received a number of 999 calls to 'Waterworld at 4.20pm on Monday.
Two ambulances, a paramedic officer and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Cosford attended the scene.
A spokesman for the service said: 'Crews arrived to find Waterworld staff and bystanders performing CPR on a girl who was in a critical condition.
'The ambulance team quickly took over resuscitation efforts to commence advanced life support before conveying the girl by air ambulance to Royal Stoke University Hospital whilst life-saving treatment continued en route.
'Tragically, despite the best efforts of everyone, nothing could be done to save the little girl, and she was confirmed deceased in hospital a short time later.
'Our thoughts are with the family and friends at this truly awful time.'
Stoke-on-Trent city council said in a statement on Tuesday: 'The council's environmental health team are working with the police and the privately run venue to undertake a full health and safety investigation.'
Steve Watkins, the Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, said: 'This is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with her family and loved ones.'
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