THE family of an 11-year-old schoolgirl who died at a theme park have called for the water ride at the centre of the incident to stay closed while investigations continue.
Evha Jannath, from Leicester, was fatally injured falling from a boat on the Splash Canyon ride during a school trip to the Tamworth-based Drayton Manor Theme Park on Tuesday.
She was recovered from the water and received advanced life support from ambulance crews before being airlifted to Birmingham Children's Hospital, but died despite the best efforts of medics.
The park has been closed throughout Wednesday as a mark of respect.
But her family is calling for the ride's operation to be suspended while a full inquiry into the circumstances of the tragedy is carried out.
The girl's mother and brother also asked for the "immediate release" of Evha's remains so she could be laid to rest.
A statement, released through the campaign office of Leicester politician Keith Vaz, said: "The family have requested a full inquiry into the circumstances surrounding this tragic death and welcome the actions taken so far by Staffordshire Police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
"The family requests that the ride in question is suspended, until the inquiry is concluded and the full facts are established.
"They have asked for the immediate release of Evha's body so that it can be buried according to their religious rights and customs.
"This terrible loss is felt not only by the family but by the community as a whole."
In an earlier statement issued through police, the girl's loved ones had said their world had been "torn apart" by the tragedy - which happened as Evha was enjoying a trip with classmates.
The family described their daughter as "a beautiful little girl who was full of love and always smiling".
"Words cannot describe the pain and loss we feel, we are devastated that we will not see our beautiful little girl again," they said.
Jameah Academy, an integrated Islamic day school for girls, was closed throughout Wednesday - with counselling being offered to pupils affected by the tragedy.
Zainab Mohammad, whose 16-year-old sister went on the trip, said the tight-knit school community had been left devastated.
Speaking to reporters near the academy, the 26-year-old said: "It's tragic. We don't know what the cause is, but what we really want is for the family to be able to grieve.
"A family member has been ripped from their family and it's a big loss. Everybody is in utter shock, there are no words.
"I couldn't sleep last night, thinking of this."
Asked how her sister was coping after the death, Ms Mohammad added: "She came home, she spoke to mum and dad and she just went upstairs.
"She was devastated.
"She didn't want to talk about it. Nobody knows what's happened, we can't speculate on what has happened."
She also urged people not to speculate about the incident on Facebook and other social media.
Ms Mohammad said: "The school is not very big, everybody knows each other.
"It's really sad for the kids."
According to one parent at the Jameah Academy, the girl fell from one of the boats when it hit a rock.
She told the Mail Online: "When the girl got up to change seats, just then it hit a rock and she got knocked out of the boat and fell in the water and the water currents dragged her in."
The parent, who asked not to be named, said the girl disappeared from view after falling from the ride.
Drayton Manor's company director George Bryan, whose grandfather opened the park in 1949, said they were "truly shocked and devastated" by the death.
He appeared shaken as he read a statement at the park on Tuesday afternoon in which he said specially-trained staff were on the scene "immediately" after the alarm was raised.
The ride, which opened in 1993, and features up to 21 boats each with a capacity of six people, was closed following the incident.
Offering a "a wild ride" with "fast-flowing rapids", riders must be at least 0.9m (3ft) tall, although those under 1.1m must be accompanied by an adult.
Meanwhile, the academy's headteacher Erfana Bora said the school was "trying to make sense of this terrible tragedy".
Reading a prepared statement, she said: "Yesterday, one of our children - Evha Jannath - passed away in tragic circumstances.
"She was just a lovely and sweet-natured girl, she was loved by everyone at the school.
"As a school, and as a community, we are trying to make sense of this terrible tragedy.
"Our thoughts and our prayers are with Evha's family at this most difficult time.
"We will be providing specialist support for our pupils and our staff, and we ask that they be given the time and the space to grieve and to come to terms with our huge loss."
Suleman Nagdi, from the Federation of Muslim Organisations, said the trip was a regular feature in the school's calendar and there had been "sufficient staff to monitor and marshal the trip".
He confirmed that none of the other children at the fee-paying school had been physically injured.
Speaking of the little girl, he said she had an older brother thought to be at university, and the family lived locally.
He also addressed speculation about the exact circumstances of the incident, saying: "We don't wish to comment - rumours are rife and we have to stick to the facts."
A spokesman for the theme park said it would remain closed on Thursday "to allow the Health and Safety Executive to complete their work".
