An inquest in Queensland, Australia, into the death of a young girl at a spa pool has reportedly been told that it was “an accident waiting to happen”.

The accident occurred at the Seahaven Resort at Noosa Heads on 10 December, 2001.

The 13-year-old girl, Amanda Helen Boyce, of Toowoomba, was on holiday with friends. She became trapped underwater in the pool area of the resort when her hair became tangled in the spa pool’s intake valve.

Brisbane Magistrates Court was reportedly told by a Workplace Health and Safety witness that the spa had a series of faults “that significantly contributed” to the girl’s death, including design and operational deficiencies.

However, according to a local newspaper, a director of the pool company told the inquest that the industry lacked guidelines and it was “unfair” to put responsibility on a small service company.

Following the accident, the spa was closed and never used again.

The death of the girl at Noosa Heads has several similarities to another death which happened at a Forster resort spa in New South Wales on 25 March this year.

An 11-year-old girl drowned at the complex when she became trapped by the suction of the spa’s floor pump. A date for the Forster inquest has yet to be finalised.

Royal Lifesaving Australia has now called for mandatory cut-off switches to be installed on all spa pumps. Details: www.royallifesaving.com.au