Theme park opens water ride 4 years after death
DRAYTON Manor Theme Park is to open a new river rapids ride four years after a schoolgirl drowned on a previous ride.
The park – which is under new ownership – will open the nautical-themed ‘Adventure
Cove’ from May as part of huge changes to the Tamworth venue, which reopened on Monday.
The new ride comes after the park was forced to shut its old rapids ride, Splash Canyon, following the death of Evha Jannath who was propelled from a boat on a school and drowned on May 9, 2017.
Operators were fined £1 million after safety failings led to the death of the 11-year-old. A spokesman said the new setting is set to bring a ‘vibrant maritime theme to the Midlands’, offering a bright and colourful coastal feel with barrels, boats
and steering wheels aplenty.
The water ride will take up to nine people per boat.
Drayton Manor’s new bosses recently moved to distance themselves from the tragic death of the schoolgirl.
The attraction said its thoughts were with the family of Evha but it said it could not comment on the £1 million fine, imposed at Stafford Crown Court, because the site was under different ownership at the time.
The park is now owned by the Looping Group after it went into insolvency when it was owned by Drayton Manor Park Limited. Drayton Manor’s statement read: “Our thoughts are with the Jannath family and all those affected by the tragedy at this time.
“We acquired the park out of insolvency in the summer of 2020 when it was forced into insolvency due to coronavirus.
“We are unable to comment on the outcome of the case as it involves the insolvent business, Drayton Manor Park Limited, which is no longer the owner or operator of the Park.”
Evha suffered a severe chest injury and fell from a travelator into the water as she tried to escape after being flung from the boat. She was later pronounced dead at Birmingham’s Children Hospital.