A four year-old girl has died following an incident at a swimming pool at a leisure attraction, police have said.
Police were called to Waterworld, Hanley, in Stoke-on-Trent, at about 16:20 BST on Monday to reports of a girl in a critical condition.
Staffordshire Police said members of staff there and paramedics treated the girl at the scene before she was taken to hospital, where she died a short time later. Her next of kin have been informed.
Det Ch Insp Lucy Maskew said: “We are now making inquiries and looking to establish the circumstances of the incident.” She asked the public not to speculate in these early stages of the investigation.
A Waterworld spokesperson said: “It is with great sadness that we learned of this little girl’s passing this evening.
“All our thoughts are with her family and loved ones during these extremely difficult times.
Waterworld is working closely with the authorities at this sad time.”
It added that it would remain closed on Tuesday out of respect for the girl’s family.
The girl’s next of kin are being supported by specially-trained officers, police added.