Girl, 9, Who Died at Hersheypark Remembered as Being 'Full of Promise' and ‘a Light in the Lives of All Who Knew Her'
The 9-year-old child who died at Hersheypark's water park is being remembered by her local community.
Tilak Niroula, a chairman of the Board for the Bhutanese Community in nearby Harrisburg, Pa., remembered the child — whose name has not yet been shared publicly — describing her as a 'beloved' member of their local Bhutanese community.'At just nine years old, she was full of promise, innocence, and joy — a light in the lives of all who knew her,' Niroula said in a statement to WGAL-TV. 'Her sudden and tragic departure has left a deep void in our hearts and in the community she was so warmly a part of.'
'Our entire community is grieving alongside the family during this unimaginably difficult time,' he continued. 'Words cannot fully capture the depth of our pain, but we are united in our mourning and committed to standing with the family in love, prayer and support.'
The preteen was visiting The Boardwalk at Hersheypark on Thursday, July 24, when she became "in distress" in the water, according to a statement from John Lawn, CEO of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts.
'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," Lawn said.
In an updated statement obtained by WGAL-TV, the water park said the incident 'occurred at the wave pool within The Boardwalk." The area 'remain closed' after the incident 'out of respect for the family and deep appreciation of our team members who worked so valiantly in their efforts to save the life of the guest.'
A representative told PEOPLE after the tragedy that Hersheypark "places the highest priority on water safety at The Boardwalk," and there were over 100 trained lifeguards at the park at the time of the incident, including "10 lifeguards specifically dedicated to the wave pool.'
"The specific lifeguards stationed at the wave pool received the highest level of training and certification, which includes deep-water lifeguarding, Basic Life Support, AED use, supplemental oxygen support, CPR and First Aid," the spokesperson continued.
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CEO Lawn promised that the company would "conduct a thorough internal review and cooperate fully with authorities" in the "coming days."
He said they would also "thoroughly investigate this tragedy and honor the memory of this young guest by continuing our focus on ensuring the safety of our guests at Hersheypark."
The Derry Township Police Department is assisting the park in the investigation. "Our thoughts and our hearts are with the family and friends of this young life, lost too soon," police said.
The Dauphin County Coroner's Office, meanwhile, said in a statement that it remains in "the early stages of this process, and we are working to gather all of the facts."
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