Police say child dies on trip to Wild Rivers water park in Irvine

A child who visited a water park in Orange County on Saturday has died, police said.

Irvine police said in a statement that a child at Wild Rivers – a sprawling complex with water slides, pools and other attractions – was taken to the hospital shortly after 11 a.m. and pronounced dead.

No information was available about the child’s identity or age, and police did not provide any further details about why the child was taken to the hospital.

The death “does not appear” to be related to the water, Irvine police said.

Wild Rivers reopened in 2022 at a new, larger location in Orange County’s Great Park with 20 slides and attractions, as well as a large wave pool. The public park land is leased to Wild Rivers, which shares a portion of its revenue with the City of Irvine.

The original Wild Rivers water park was open from 1986 to 2011 and was then closed to make way for residential development.