14 Oct 2011

Girl seriously injured after falling in Rotorua mudpool

11:57 am on 14 October 2011

A girl has serious burns to nearly half of her body after she fell into a mudpool in Rotorua.

The Westpac Waikato Air Ambulance says the 12-year-old was running through a thermal area when she fell into the mudpool on Thursday.

A spokesperson says she suffered third-degree burns to 40% of her body.

The girl was initially treated at Rotorua Hospital but has since been transported to Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, where on Friday she remained in a serious but stable condition.

During the Christmas holidays last year, a 10-year-old boy died after falling into a thermal pool in the public Kuirau Park.

Rotorua District Council increased the number of warning signs as a result, and an investigation was launched into the effectiveness of safety fences.