The park gave no details on what happened to the boy, but said grief counselors were being made available to employees and guests.
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“We feel really bad for his family”, the husband of one of the women said, stating his family wanted to remain anonymous for now. The state Department of Labor is required to randomly audit inspection records.
Kansas governor Sam Brownback added his condolences via Twitter, noting that “Our prayers are with the family of Rep. Scott Schwab today with the tragic and sudden loss of their young son”.
The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions said states are best suited to regulate the industry.
The Verruckt, which means “insane” in German, was opened in 2014, and has 264 stairs leading to the top. Kansas City, Kansas, police spokesman Officer Cameron Morgan said the boy died at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark, which is located about 15 miles west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
The park is tentatively scheduled to reopen Wednesday, while the Verrückt remains closed indefinitely, park officials said in a statement.
The waterslide is billed as the world’s tallest, measuring 168-feet high. An excerpt of a first person account of riding the Verruckt water slide for the first time published by the Associated Press gave an idea of how uniquely terrifying the water slide truly could be. A video shot by his wife shows it loose at the ride’s end.
She said the boy’s brother, who had witnessed the incident, told a theme-park worker: “I just saw my little brother die because of one of your attractions”.
He said he had not filed a complaint.
Paul Oberhauser said his belt came off while riding with a friend and his 9-year-old son about two weeks ago.
The two women from a small town near the Nebraska-Kansas state line were in a raft along with Caleb Schwab, 10, who was killed on the Verrückt ride Sunday afternoon.
Neither investigators nor park officials have released specifics about how the boy sustained his fatal injuries.
Kansas state Sen. Greg Smith, an Overland Park Republican, said that although state law doesn’t specifically address waterslides, it’s clear they “would fall into that category”.
The state’s Labor Department said it has requested documentation from Schlitterbahn “to ensure all safety requirements have been followed”.
Authorities are still investigating what happened.
On Tuesday, he clarified that the investigation is a criminal case because a death was involved, as is standard procedure.
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Another witness, Esteban Castaneda, told ABC 7 that when the raft Schwab had been riding in reached the bottom of the slide, lifeguards were attempting to push crowds back, but Castaneda noticed someone in the water who looked to be decapitated.
