7-Year-Old Girl Drowns in Wave Pool After Being Left Unattended

It has been revealed that a 7-year-old girl who drowned during a group field trip to a water park in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on July 11 was left alone in a wave pool without any guardians at the time of the accident.

An autopsy showed that the child was less than 120 cm tall. The water park had a safety regulation prohibiting children under 120 cm from entering the wave pool without a guardian.

The wave pool where the accident occurred reaches a maximum depth of 1.9 meters, and the depth can temporarily increase to 2.5 meters when strong artificial waves are generated.

The 7-year-old child had been left defenseless in a dangerous area where even adults struggle to stand properly.

Investigations revealed that while there were over 60 children from a taekwondo gym on the group trip, there were only 8 chaperones, meaning each chaperone was responsible for more than five or six children at the same time.

It is reported that another water park visitor discovered the child floating in the wave pool, unconscious and wearing a life jacket with vomit on it.

The police are conducting a comprehensive investigation into whether the chaperones at the scene were negligent in their safety duties and whether the water park properly adhered to its safety regulations.

Furthermore, authorities are reviewing the legal aspects of whether the Serious Accidents Punishment Act can be applied to the water park operator for failing to manage a large-scale public facility properly.

Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.