Kyra Hill, 11, died after getting into trouble in the water at Liquid Leisure Park in Datchet, Berkshire, where she was attending a party. She died less than two weeks before her own 12th birthday. Her father Leonard told Sky News: “I am 100% sure that Kyra could have been saved if Liquid Leisure and the staff had acted sooner and more urgently.” “This tore my family apart,” he added. Liquid Leisure told Sky News that everyone at the company is “devastated by the tragic event” and “our thoughts remain with the family and those affected”. The company added: “We are working closely with the various authorities to assist the ongoing investigation. As a result, we are limited in what we can say about the incident itself at this stage.” Describing his daughter as “one of my best”, Mr Hill claimed staff were slow to respond and searched in the wrong areas of the park. “She and I had an unbreakable bond,” he said. “They broke one of the closest people in my life because they didn’t act quickly enough. They didn’t raise the alarm quickly enough, they didn’t call the emergency services fast enough.” Read more: ‘It was chaos’: Witness describes moments after 11-year-old girl disappears at Liquid Leisure “This is neglect – he had a chance” Hill said Kyra was found “in the same water she came down in.” She was not on the inflatables and was in an area of the park with a sign that said “shallow water” – and where she was not required to wear a life jacket. “He was never out of water,” said the father of three. “All the other searches that were carried out were unnecessary because they were quite clear and obvious – and as things develop you will see how clear and obvious. “This was negligence. Lack of awareness. I don’t pay attention. “Almost a carefree attitude towards her. I’d say he was left to drown. “Because there’s no way he could have fallen into the same water and it took you over 30 minutes to contact the emergency services. “She had a chance. But the lack of urgency, the lack of interest, the lack of action, is why my daughter is no longer here today.” Image: Kyra Hill, pictured with her mother, sister and brother The area where he drowned was ‘less searched’ Mr Hill said there was only one lifeguard monitoring the beach area and said Kyra was found drowned in a 9×12 meter area. “The least searched area in the entire survey was the actual 9×12 meter open swimming area,” he said. Liquid Leisure confirmed the incident happened in the swimming area, but said there is always a fully trained Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) lifeguard on duty in that zone. Reliving the moment he found out what happened, Mr Hill said: “I got a phone call saying Kyra was under water and she had been under water for half an hour. “I knew he was gone then.” He said Liquid Leisure has not been in contact with the family. Image: Kyra dreamed of playing for Manchester United’s women’s soccer team Kyra, who dreamed of playing for Manchester United’s women’s team – leaves behind a brother, three, and a sister, 14. “Her little brother doesn’t really know it, but he misses his sister,” Hill said. “She asks her every day. But her older sister is cut, she’s upset. Kyra was her best friend.” She said she doesn’t want to see the park reopen and wants to “fight” to protect other children and families. The park has been blocked from opening by the local council for health and safety reasons. Liquid Leisure has been told it must show it has reduced the risk of drowning before operations can resume. Liquid Leisure said its Datchet site “has been in operation for over 20 years and has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors during that time”. “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our guests,” he added. “We want to reiterate our deepest condolences to the family and all those affected by this tragedy and will provide further updates when we can.”
