Family’s heartbreak after Evha, 11, dies in rapids ride tragedy
tight-knit school community were devastated by the tragedy.
The 26-year-old added: “A family member has been ripped from their family. Everybody is in utter shock. There are no words.
“I couldn’t sleep last night, thinking of this.”
The school was closed yesterday and pupils were offered counselling
Zainab said: “The school is not very big, everybody knows each other. It’s really sad for the kids.”
Jameah Academy headteacher Erfana Bora said: “Evha was a lovely, sweet-natured girl and loved by everyone at the school.
“We are trying to make sense of this terrible tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with Evha’s family.”
A statement on the academy’s website added: “The school will ensure specially trained staff are in school to provide our pupils and staff with support at this difficult time. The safety and wellbeing of our pupils is our foremost priority.”
Drayton Manor, in Tamworth, Staffordshire, was closed yesterday as a mark of respect.
The Health and Safety Executive are investigating the accident.
According to a parent at Jameah Academy, Evha fell from one of the Splash Canyon’s boats when it hit a rock.
She said: “When the girl got up to change seats, just then it hit a rock and she got knocked out of the boat and fell in the water and the water currents dragged her in.”
The parent said Evha disappeared from view after falling from the ride.
Drayton Manor’s company director George Bryan said they were “truly shocked and devastated” by the death.
He said specially trained staff were on the scene immediately after the alarm was raised.
Ambulance teams tended to Evha before she was flown to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
The ride, which features up to 21 boats, each with a capacity of six people, was opened in 1993. It offers a “wild ride” with “fast-flowing rapids”.