A SIX-YEAR-OLD British girl died and three other children were injured after an entertainment stunt backfired at an hotel resort in Turkey.

Eden Galvani, from London, had been watching the flame-eating display at a hotel in Didum, on the Aegean coast, where she was on holiday with her mother.

The accident occurred during a performance by a hotel entertainer at the pool bar and restaurant of the Gemini Park Holiday Resort.

It is understood that Tahir Akalin, a fire-eater hired to entertain guests, was unable to light a baton during his act.

However, when a waiter tried to light the baton by dousing it in alcohol, the flames made contact with the bottle of accelerant, causing an explosion.

One witness said: “Flames tore into children and adults standing near by and their clothes caught fire. They were screaming from the pain and terror. They looked like they had been in a bomb blast.

“One man’s shorts were stuck to his skin and he was writhing in agony. Others jumped into the pool but that made their burns even worse.”

The girl was taken to a nearby hospital after the incident on Monday, but died later from her injuries.

One Turkish waiter and six British holidaymakers, including three children, also suffered burns during the incident and are being treated at a hospital in Kusadasi.

A source said that guests had been enjoying the poolside performance before the incident after 11pm.

He said: “The waiter did this off his own bat on an unofficial basis and guests were clapping him on, asking for more. But the flames went back on to him and the [accelerant], creating a fireball, which caught the little girl and injured some others.”

Mark Hunter, whose 13-year-old daughter Sarah was one of those injured, said: “Sarah had, I believe, 30 per cent burns, second-degree burns. What you can’t see is actually the worst area of the burns, the back of her legs, because the fire has taken right through the seat of the cane chair with cushions, and it has just all taken alight. She’s bearing up very well under the circumstances but obviously she’s wanting to get home, she’s in discomfort.” Another British girl suffered scars on her face and arms, he said.

A Foreign and Comonwealth Office spokesman said: “A six-year-old girl died in Izmir on July 31 after receiving burns during a fire-based entertainment display at a hotel. Next-of-kin have been informed and consular staff are providing assistance.”

A spokesman for the company that runs the resort, said: “Premier Management Services Turkey and their resort would like to express our deepest regret to the family of the little girl who lost her life, and to the people who sustained injuries in the tragic accident.” He added that the incident was being investigated by the Turkish authorities.

Most of the timeshare apartments at the resort are owned by Britons. The child is believed to have arrived in Turkey on July 25 with Helen Zachariou, her mother, and an aunt. Her body is being flown back to London.

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