A 9-year-old child died Thursday while at The Boardwalk at Hersheypark, the water area in the Pennsylvania theme attraction.

“From the moment our lifeguard team recognized that a child was in distress, they performed an immediate rescue, followed by continuous, coordinated life-saving efforts by our lifeguards, on-site first responders and medical personnel. The child was transported without delay to Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where despite everyone’s tireless efforts, the child did not recover,” Hershey Entertainment & Resorts CEO John Lawn said in a statement.

Mr. Lawn said that out of respect for the victim’s family, personal details are not being released. The statement did not specify the cause of the child’s death or why lifeguards needed to intervene.

Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Co. will do an internal review of the incident and cooperate with any investigation by authorities, Mr. Lawn said.

The company, which owns and operates Hersheypark and The Boardwalk, is separate from the multinational candymaker Hershey Co.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.