A SCHOOLGIRL who drowned at Drayton Manor theme park was allowed aboard a river rapids ride without a teacher, an inquest heard on Monday (4).
Evha Jannath, 11, died after falling from a ride and drowning at Drayton Manor Park on May 9, 2017. The Jameah Girls Academy student was on a end-of-year school trip.
An inquest heard that Jannath and her friends were repeatedly standing up and reaching into the water before the circular vessel hit a barrier and sent her into the water.
Headteacher Erfana Bora said the teacher who was allocated to look after them acted in line with the school's health and safety policy on the day.
She said: "We can't stipulate teachers must be on rides, as there will be instances where some children would not wish to be on the ride, and so in those cases it's safer overall for the teacher to stay with that child... they make the assumption the park staff are responsible for overall safety on that ride."
One of the teachers who was on the trip told the inquest that Jannath and her friends had been on the ride earlier and their behaviour had been "responsible enough" for them to be allowed to go again on their own.
After Jannath fell into the water, she was seen wading through the water before trying to climb up a moving travelator. However, she slipped and fell 12ft into deeper water as it was covered in algae. Some 11 minutes after staff was alerted to Jannath's fall she was spotted face down. It took another six minutes to pull her out.
Less than two hours after the accident, Jannath was pronounced dead at Birmingham Children's Hospital.
Detective Inspector John Quilty told the jury that Jannath fell in the water "at the worst possible time".
As jurors watched CCTV, Quilty said: "We know children act in different ways and you will see, sadly, that not just Evha but other children did not adhere to the rules of the ride. At no point do we see her sat on the ride."
"Evha was not sat on the seat. She was sat on the steps and at various points was standing up.
"When the vessel hit the barrier she was propelled out of the vessel.
"At the worst possible time she falls out and is propelled out of the vessel causing an impact on the wooden barrier."
The inquest is being held before a jury at Stafford Coroners Court, and it is due to last two weeks.
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