9-year-old dies in Hersheypark wave pool

A child died after an incident at a Pennsylvania theme park’s wave pool.

The 9-year-old, who was not identified, was at the wave pool at The Boardwalk at Hersheypark, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on July 24 when the incident happened, WGAL reported.

Officials have yet to provide any specifics of what happened other than to say that 10 lifeguards were at the wave pool at the time.

“From the moment our lifeguard team recognized 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,” John Lawn, CEO of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company, said in a statement, posted to Facebook.

A witness told WGAL that they saw a limp child pulled from the pool.

“Staff did their best to shield onlookers from the trauma, but the weight of the moment was overwhelming,” the person, who was not identified, told the news station.

The child was transported to an area hospital, where they died.

The company is doing an internal review of the incident and is working with the authorities. Derry Township police are investigating, WHTM reported.

Police posted a statement, according to CNN, which read, "We are still on the early stages of this process, and we are working to gather all of the facts in the incident. Our thoughts and our hearts are with the family and friends of this young life, lost too soon."

According to the Hersheypark website, the wave pool is called The Shore and is a 378,000-gallon pool that goes from 0 to 6 feet deep. Anyone under the height of 48 inches must wear a life vest while in the pool.

The Boardwalk at Hersheypark opened in 2007 and has 16 attractions, including the wave pool, water slides and a lazy river. Hersheypark itself opened 119 years ago, CNN reported.

The pool was closed on Friday, WGAL reported.

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