Drayton Manor schoolgirl Evha Jannath's death 'caused by collision with another boat'

The schoolgirl who died after falling out of a water ride at Drayton Manor was allegedly killed when she was hit by another boat, it has been claimed

Evha Jannath was thought to have drowned or hit her head after standing up on the Splash Canyon attraction, but a coroner's report published this week revealed that the 11-year-old girl died from 'blunt force chest trauma'. A source close to the investigation told the Mail on Sunday that a boat crashed into her as she attempted to get out of the water.

The uncle of the girl now believes more could have been done to save her life after found herself in the water, with probe revealing that the water depth was just 20in (50cm).

Syed Alam 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."

A police spokesman confirmed the coroner's reports of the chest injuries sustained and added that a joint investigation was ongoing.

"The preliminary cause of death has been identified by the HM Coroner as chest injuries however investigations continue.

"The investigation into Evha's death remains a joint investigation between Staffordshire Police and the Health and Safety Executive."

Evha had been enjoying a day out at the popular theme park on a school trip with Leicester's Jameah Girls Academy.

Reports had claimed she attempted to swap seats with another pupil on the ride and fell out shortly after, but one of her fellow students admitted he thought the incident was initially "nothing major" after seeing her in the water.

The tragedy resulted in the temporary closure of the park, reopening on 13 May and slashing admission prices from £39 to £25 in an attempt to improve attendance.