A four-year-old girl "found unconscious" at a waterpark in Staffordshire has died in hospital.
West Midlands Ambulance Service were called to Waterworld on Festival Way in Stoke-on-Trent following reports a child was in critical condition.
Paramedics were assisted by Waterworld staff before the four-year-old was transported to hospital.
Despite the efforts of police and the Midlands Air Ambulance, the young girl sadly passed away shortly after.
The child's next of kin are being supported by specially-trained officers.
In a Facebook statement, Waterworld said it was: "Deeply saddened to confirm that a fatal incident occurred at 4.15pm 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," the statement continued.
"They immediately provided CPR and called the emergency services, who arrived around 4:20pm."
Paramedics were assisted by Waterworld staff before the four-year-old was transported to hospital
| GOOGLE MAPSWaterworld stated that "all other visitors were asked to quietly leave the pool out of respect for the rescue operation".
"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."
The statement added that Waterworld's, "thoughts are with her family and loved ones during these extremely difficult times".
The Facebook post by Waterworld
|"The authorities were immediately alerted and Waterworld is working closely and openly with them to precisely understand the circumstances of this tragic accident," the statement reads.
"Waterworld is in shock and has decided to remain closed tomorrow out of respect for the young girl’s family."
The indoor aqua-park "will be refunding" tickets for anyone with an online booking for Tuesday and they are not required to contact the company.
"This can take up to five 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," Waterworld said.
The park said it was also investigating the matter.
Staffordshire Police Detective Chief Inspector Lucy Maskew said: "Our thoughts are with the family at this terribly sad time".
She confirmed that inquiries were being made 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," Maskew added.
Staffordshire Police are urging any witnesses or those with knowledge to contact them by calling 101 and quoting incident number 460.
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