Tragic Evha ‘killed by theme park boat’
A SCHOOLGIRL who fell into the water at a theme park ride was killed when a boat crashed into her as she tried to get out, according to a source close to the investigation into the tragedy.
Evha Jannath, 11, died after she fell from her dinghy on the Splash Canyon ride while on a school outing to Drayton Manor, Staffordshire. The revelation suggests Evha could have survived had staff brought the ride to an emergency stop in time and prevented the half-ton dinghy ploughing into her.
It had earlier been believed the schoolgirl from Leicester’s Jameah Girls Academy had hit her head after falling in while trying to swap seats, or had drowned in up to 5ft of water. However, The Mail on Sunday has learned the water depth would have been little more than 20in.
A fellow pupil in the boat with Evha told ITV News she had thought she would not be harmed just moments before she was killed, saying: ‘I was really shocked. I saw Evha in the water and I thought it was nothing major.’
A post-mortem examination found that Evha died from chest injuries. An inquest has been formally opened by Staffordshire’s Coroner.
Evha’s uncle Syed Alam, 47, said: ‘If she fell into the water and tried to walk out, she was in there for a good few minutes. Staff should have seen her and done something.’
Drayton Manor would not comment while an investigation was ongoing. Leicester East MP Keith Vaz said: ‘The family await the outcome of the investigation.’