Girl, 9, who died in wave pool at chocolate theme park pictured for first time
A nine-year-old girl who tragically died following an incident in a busy wave pool at a Hershey's chocolate theme park has been pictured for the first time.
Sophia Subedi passed away after being seen in "distress" in front of horrified families at The Boardwalk inside Hersheypark in Pennsylvania last Thursday. Lifeguards desperately tried to save the child, who was taken to Milton S. Hershey Medical Centre, but she was later pronounced dead despite the best effort of doctors.
Her cause of death is not known yet, as autopsy results have not been released. The Bhutanese Community in Harrisburg (BCH) confirmed Sophia's identity while describing her as "a bright, kind, and loving young girl" who "brought joy and light to everyone who knew her."
"Her sudden loss has left our entire community in grief," the BCH said in a statement. Sophia was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 2016 and moved to Harrisburg with her family in 2022. She had just finished third-grade - the American equivalent of Year 4 - and was looking forward to the following school year at North Side Elementary School in Harrisburg.
In a GoFundMe created in memory of Sophia, organiser Sri Adhikari said Sophia had "a love for reading, music, and painting" and "often spoke of her dreams to become a teacher." The tribute said: "Those who knew Sophia remember her not just for her brilliance and curiosity, but also for her compassion.
"She made friends easily and looked out for others - often the first to offer help, share her snacks, or hold someone's hand when they were scared or sad. She loved dancing in the living room with her little cousins, holding her mom's hand on evening walks, and singing along to her favorite Nepali songs on long car rides."
The money raised will be used towards memorial and funeral expenses, the organiser said, adding: "We hope to turn this loss into a legacy - perhaps by supporting children's safety initiatives, advocating for awareness, or creating a small space in her name where kids and families can feel safe, loved, and connected."
A funeral and memorial service will be held at Jesse H. Geigle Funeral Home in Harrisburg on Wednesday, Local 21 News reported. Authorities are working with the park and the local coroner's office to investigate Sophia's death. Hersheypark temporarily closed the wave pool out of respect for the grieving family, but reopened it on Sunday, according to WGAL.
After Sophia's death, the CEO of the waterpark, John Lawn, said in a statement: "From the moment that our lifeguard team recognised that a child was in distress, they performed an immediate rescue, followed by continuous, coordinated life-saving efforts by our lifeguards, on-site first responders and medical personnel.
"Our hearts break for this child and the child's family. We extend our deepest condolences for their loss. Out of respect for their privacy, we will not release any personal details at this time.
"As we grieve alongside our community, we ask for privacy for the family and for our team members who are deeply affected by this loss. We will provide updates as appropriate, and we will continue to work to support everyone involved. In the coming days, we will conduct a thorough internal review and cooperate fully with authorities. The safety of our guests has always been our highest priority."
Hersheypark, which is affiliated with the well-known chocolate brand, is the biggest waterpark in Pennsylvania. The attraction features 16 different water rides and sections including a 378,000-gallon wave pool. Some of its most popular rides include the Whitecap Racer, which allows visitors to race on mats.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Study: Reason behind increase in colon cancer among young people
Advertisement Colon cancer incidence rates in the US surged by almost 50 percent in a year, a new study has revealed. An investigation by the American Cancer Society (ACS) found that after a stable 15-year trend, diagnoses of local-stage colorectal cancer (CRC) rose dramatically in adults aged 45 to 49 years old between 2019 and 2022 in the US. From 2021 to 2022, there was a 50 percent relative increase in diagnoses from 11.7 to 17.5 cases per 100,000 people. Local or early stage indicates the cancer is confined to the original site where it started, has not spread to other areas of the body and usually has no symptoms. If colon cancer is detected and treated in its early stages, the five-year survival rate is approximately 90 percent, while it is around 60 percent if it is diagnosed in its advanced stages. The cost of treatment also dramatically increases, with early-stage colon cancer costing around $40,000 to treat, while advanced stages can exceed $300,000. The study's lead author Elizabeth Schafer put the rise in early-stage colon cancer cases down to recommendations for younger average-risk adults to begin testing for earlier. While the disease is known to be linked to obesity, experts have noted that the disease also seems to also be occurring in fit and healthy patients. Some experts believe the explanation must lie in environmental factors young people have been exposed to more than previous generations. While no 'smoking gun' has been found, there are multiple theories. These include modern chemicals in diets, microplastics, pollution, and one recent study even pinned the surge on exposure to E. coli in food . The recommended age to begin CRC screening was lowered from 50 to 45 years by ACS in 2018 and the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) followed suit in 2021. The US already has a lower colon cancer screening age than some other Western nations, including Canada — where it is set at 50 years — and England — which lowered the age from 60 to 50 years in 2021. Early onset colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men under 50 and the second-leading cause for women under 50 in the US. Over 50,000 Americans are expected to die from colorectal cancer this year, while 150,000 are predicted to be diagnosed with the disease. For the recent ACS study, published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) , researchers analyzed CRC cases diagnosed from 2004 to 2022 among adults 20 to 54 years old in the 21 geographic areas of the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Cases were sorted by age, where the cancer was located, and stage at diagnosis. Results showed that CRC incidence increased steadily by 1.6 percent annually since 2004 among adults 20 to 39 years old and by two percent to 2.6 percent per year since 2012 among adults 40 to 44 and 50 to 54 years old. However, in people 45 to 49 years old, an increase of one percent annually during 2004 to 2019 accelerated to 12 percent per year from 2019 to 2022. This steep increase was driven by the detection of early, local-stage tumors, which increased from 2019 to 2022 by 19 percent per year for colon cancer after previously stable rates and by 25 percent per year for rectal cancer after declining rates. Advanced-stage disease has continued to increase steeply over the past two decades. Incidence of advanced CRC increased from 1.7 to 2.9 percent annually since 2004 among adults under 45 years old and even more rapidly during the past decade in ages 45 to 54. In support of these findings, another ACS led study also published today in JAMA reports that CRC screening among US adults 45 to 49 years of age increased by 62 percent from 2019 to 2023. 'It's not only thrilling to see the increase in colorectal cancer screening among younger adults, but also how it likely ties into rises in earlier stage diagnosis as noted in the other ACS led paper,' said lead author Jessica Star, an associate scientist of cancer risk factors and screening surveillance research at the ACS. 'However, we still have a long way to go. Screening for colorectal cancer in ages 45-49 remains suboptimal and has not increased equitably by both educational attainment and insurance status.' For this study, scientists analyzed the data of more than 50,000 individuals from the National Health Interview Survey, comparing changes in CRC screening from 2019 to 2023 within age groups 40 to 44; 45 to 49; 50 to 54; 55 to 64; and 65 to 75 years old. The data were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and region. The researchers found up-to-date CRC screening was up 20 percent in 2021 and 37 percent in 2023. The study results showed that among 45- to 49-year-olds, colonoscopy screening increased by 43 percent and stool-based testing increased more than five-fold from 2019 to 2023. Screening increased significantly from 2019 to 2023 in every racial and ethnic group, but remained unchanged among individuals with less than a high school education and those who were uninsured. 'These studies further demonstrate the importance of people having access to comprehensive health insurance, which covers evidence-based preventive services,' said Lisa A. Lacasse, president of ACS's advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). 'With more than 2 million people in America expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2025, it's more important than ever to make sure that everyone can access necessary screenings. 'ACS CAN will continue to advocate at the state and federal level to expand access for all because it isn't just good policy, it's lifesaving.'
Rhyl Journal
6 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Dozens killed as Palestinians in Gaza scramble for aid from air and land
Israel's blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible to safely deliver aid, contributing to the territory's slide towards famine nearly 22 months into the war with Hamas. Aid groups say Israel's week-old measures to allow more aid in are far from sufficient. Families of hostages in Gaza fear starvation affects them too, but blame Hamas. Several hundred Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since May while heading toward food distribution sites and aid convoys, according to witnesses, local health officials and the United Nations human rights office. The military says it has only fired warning shots and disputes the toll. As international alarm has mounted, several countries have airdropped aid over Gaza. The UN and aid groups call such drops costly and dangerous for residents, and say they deliver far less aid than trucks. Many food parcels dropped by air have splashed into the Mediterranean Sea or landed in so-called red zones from which Israel's military has ordered people to evacuate. In either case, Palestinians risk their lives to get flour and other basic goods. On Monday, Palestinians cheered as pallets of aid were parachuted over Zuweida in central Gaza. Associated Press footage showed a desperate scramble when the parcels hit the ground, with hundreds of people racing toward them. Fistfights broke out and some men wielded batons. 'I wish they would deliver it through the (land) crossings,' Rabah Rabah said earlier as he waited for the airdrop. 'This is inhuman.' At least one parcel fell on a tent where displaced people had been sheltering, injuring a man who was taken to a hospital. His condition was not immediately known. At least 16 people were killed late on Sunday near the Israeli-controlled Zikim Crossing, the main entry point for aid to northern Gaza, according to records at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which showed that more than 130 people were wounded. The circumstances were not immediately clear, but the crossing has seen several shootings in recent days that witnesses and health officials blamed on Israeli forces. There was no immediate comment from the military. At least 10 people were killed as thousands waited for aid trucks in the Morag Corridor, which the Israeli military carved out between the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah. Mohammed al-Masri, who was among the crowds, said Israeli forces opened fire when a group of young men tried to make their way to the front. 'The occupation forces shot many people in the head and in the back,' he said, adding that he saw four wounded people, one motionless on the ground. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received 10 bodies from Morag and another five who were killed near an aid site in southern Gaza run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor. GHF said there were no violent incidents at or near its sites. It said a new UN route runs near two of its sites in the south and has drawn large crowds of people who unload the convoys. GHF says its contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots on a few occasions to prevent deadly crowding since it opened four sites in May.
Leader Live
6 hours ago
- Leader Live
Dozens killed as Palestinians in Gaza scramble for aid from air and land
Israel's blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible to safely deliver aid, contributing to the territory's slide towards famine nearly 22 months into the war with Hamas. Aid groups say Israel's week-old measures to allow more aid in are far from sufficient. Families of hostages in Gaza fear starvation affects them too, but blame Hamas. Several hundred Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since May while heading toward food distribution sites and aid convoys, according to witnesses, local health officials and the United Nations human rights office. The military says it has only fired warning shots and disputes the toll. As international alarm has mounted, several countries have airdropped aid over Gaza. The UN and aid groups call such drops costly and dangerous for residents, and say they deliver far less aid than trucks. Many food parcels dropped by air have splashed into the Mediterranean Sea or landed in so-called red zones from which Israel's military has ordered people to evacuate. In either case, Palestinians risk their lives to get flour and other basic goods. On Monday, Palestinians cheered as pallets of aid were parachuted over Zuweida in central Gaza. Associated Press footage showed a desperate scramble when the parcels hit the ground, with hundreds of people racing toward them. Fistfights broke out and some men wielded batons. 'I wish they would deliver it through the (land) crossings,' Rabah Rabah said earlier as he waited for the airdrop. 'This is inhuman.' At least one parcel fell on a tent where displaced people had been sheltering, injuring a man who was taken to a hospital. His condition was not immediately known. At least 16 people were killed late on Sunday near the Israeli-controlled Zikim Crossing, the main entry point for aid to northern Gaza, according to records at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which showed that more than 130 people were wounded. The circumstances were not immediately clear, but the crossing has seen several shootings in recent days that witnesses and health officials blamed on Israeli forces. There was no immediate comment from the military. At least 10 people were killed as thousands waited for aid trucks in the Morag Corridor, which the Israeli military carved out between the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah. Mohammed al-Masri, who was among the crowds, said Israeli forces opened fire when a group of young men tried to make their way to the front. 'The occupation forces shot many people in the head and in the back,' he said, adding that he saw four wounded people, one motionless on the ground. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received 10 bodies from Morag and another five who were killed near an aid site in southern Gaza run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor. GHF said there were no violent incidents at or near its sites. It said a new UN route runs near two of its sites in the south and has drawn large crowds of people who unload the convoys. GHF says its contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots on a few occasions to prevent deadly crowding since it opened four sites in May.
