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A tragedy has occurred at Hersheypark.
An unidentified 9-year-old died during a visit to the Pennsylvania theme park July 24, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company CEO John Lawn confirmed in a statement shared to Facebook.
According to Lawn, the child was in The Boardwalk—the water park area—when lifeguards noticed they were in distress.
“They performed an immediate rescue,” Lawn noted, “followed by continuous, coordinated life-saving efforts by our lifeguards, on-site first responders, and medical personnel.”
Despite the team’s best efforts, however, the child was unable to be resuscitated on site. They were later pronounced dead at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
“Our hearts break for this child and the child’s family,” Lawn continued. “We extend our deepest condolences for their loss. Out of respect for their privacy, we will not release any personal details at this time.”
Lawn noted that the park plans to fully cooperate with authorities regarding any investigation and conduct a “thorough internal review” in light of the incident.
“We will thoroughly investigate this tragedy and honor the memory of this young guest,” Lawn concluded, “by continuing our focus on ensuring the safety of our guests at Hersheypark.”
A witness of an incident that occurred on July 24 at Hersheypark told NBC News’ WGAL 8 that they saw a “child being pulled, limp, from the wave pool.”
“Lifeguards blew their whistles, evacuating everyone, and within moments, staff and security rushed to help.” the witness shared, “A lifeguard began CPR on a gurney with intense focus, working for several minutes.”
E! News has reached out to Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company and local authorities regarding the incident but has not yet heard back.
Max W. Orenstein/Allentown Morning Call/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Hersheypark opened in 1906, and celebrated its 119th birthday earlier this year. It has undergone several expansions since its inaugural opening, and now boasts over 70 theme park rides, as well as a waterpark and a zoo.
In April of this year, another minor incident occurred on the Kissing Tower ride at Hersheypark, with a spokesperson for the company telling ABC’s WTHM that the ride “stopped during its ride cycle” which left “riders hanging for an extended period of time.”
Although the ride hangs 250 feet in the air, the spokesperson noted that no one was injured amid the incident, adding, “The team had to manually lower the ride to the ground to remove riders safely, per ride safety procedures.”
(E! News and WGAL 8 are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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