RIVER rapid rides at some of the UK’s biggest theme parks will remain closed after an 11-year-old schoolgirl was killed when she fell from Drayton Manor’s Splash Canyon.
Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Legoland will not operate certain attractions as a “precautionary measure” after it emerged some of the rides were made by the same firm.
Meanwhile Drayton will remain completely closed as safety investigators continue their probe after Evha Jannath, from Leicester, was fatally injured during a school trip on Tuesday.
The Splash Canyon ride she fell from was made by Intamin – the same Swiss company which designed Rumba Rapids at Thorpe Park and Congo River Rapids at Alton Towers.
Legoland Windsor also closed its Viking River Splash ride despite not being made by Intamin.
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A spokesman for Merlin Entertainments, which owns Legoland, Thorpe Park and Alton Towers said: “We are aware of the tragic events at Drayton Manor and our thoughts are with the family and all of those affected.
“Safety is our number one priority. We have full confidence in the safety of all the rides we operate, but as a precautionary measure, rapid rides at relevant parks will be closed until more details of the incident become available.”
Evah was on a day out with classmates from her Leicester school when she fell into water on the ride on Tuesday afternoon.
She received advanced life support from ambulance crews before being airlifted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital but later died.
The youngster’s family said they have been “torn apart” by the tragedy and requested that the ride is suspended until the inquiry has concluded and the “full facts” are established.
Drayton Manor management said the park was closed on Wednesday as a “mark of respect” although it remains closed today while HSE officials carry out inquiries.
In a statement the attraction said Tuesday’s “tragic events” had “shaken the whole Drayton Manor family from the board through to staff and visitors”.
“The park will be closed on Thursday to allow the Health and Safety Executive to complete their work,” it added.
Meanwhile a mum whose son fell off the theme park ride on which schoolgirl Evha Jannath died says she warned bosses the attraction was unsafe.
Thorpe Park’s Rumba Rapids was opened in 1986 and refurbished in 2002.
In its opening year an 11-year-old boy was thrown from a boat and lost an ear.
Alton Towers’ Congo River Rapids opened in 1986 and is believed to have operated without a serious incident since then.
Splash Canyon opened in 1993. The boats have a central circular bar to hold on to but the seats do not have any other restraints.
Intamin has made rides for many other theme parks around the world, including the new Red Force rollercoaster at Ferrari Land in Spain, Kali River Rapids at Walt Disney World in Florida and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts at Universal Studios in Florida.
Drayton Manor's Splash Canyon water ride
- Opened in 1993
- Water rapids-style ride where guests sit in a boat and are sent down a choppy ‘river’
- Consists of 21 boats holding six people each
- The minimum height to ride is 0.9m (2.95ft)
- Anyone under 1.1m (3.6ft) must be accompanied by an adult
The firm made the world’s first rapids ride, Thunder River, for AstroWorld in Houston, Texas, in 1979 and it was opened the following year.
The ride was so popular that the park’s owner, Six Flags, ordered six more in the early 1980s.
It has since become a mainstay of theme park attractions.
A spokesman for Intamin said: “It’s very difficult to say what happened on Splash Canyon.
“This is an ongoing investigation. We have been informed about the incident by Drayton Manor but without any details, so we have no idea what happened exactly.
“The ride has many built-in safety features, but any questions about them should be directed to Drayton Manor.”
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