(Reuters) - The young son of a Kansas lawmaker died at a popular water park in Kansas City on Sunday in an apparent accident on what has been dubbed the world’s tallest water slide, officials and media said. 
 
 Representative Scott Schwab confirmed in a statement Kansas media his son, Caleb Thomas Schwab, had died in the accident at Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas on Sunday afternoon. 
 
 “As we try and mend our home with him no longer with us, we are comforted knowing he believed in his savior, Jesus, and they are forever together now. We will see him another day,” Schwab said in a statement published by several media outlets. 
 
 The child’s age was not confirmed. 
 
 Schwab, a Republican, was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2003, according to the legislature’s website. Schwab’s family could not be reached immediately for comment on Sunday night. 
 
 Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio said the child died while riding the Verrückt water slide, which is the world’s tallest water slide, according to Guinness World Records, at more than 168 feet (51.4 meters) tall. Verrückt means “insane” in German. 
 
 Prosapio, who provided only limited information, said the park would remain closed on Monday. She said a full investigation would be conducted on the ride. 
 
 “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time,” she said in a statement. 
 
 A general view of the Verruckt waterslide at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas July 8, 2014, before its scheduled opening on July 10. REUTERS/Dave Kaup/File Photo 
 
 Police said in a brief statement officers were working “an apparent accident death investigation” at the water park, but gave no further details and could not be contacted immediately. 
 
 The park postponed the 2014 opening of the slide three times to ensure safety. Riders are strapped into a raft that has room for three people and dives 17 stories in a near vertical descent before getting propelled back up five stories by rushing water and plunging a second time to its end. 
 
 Riders must be at least 54 inches (137 cm) tall to take the plunge and are weighed to make sure rafts are run with a combined weight of 400 pounds to 550 pounds (181 to 249 kg). The descent takes 15 to 20 seconds. ||||| It was elected officials day Sunday at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kan., and the place teemed with lawmakers and their families, who received free admission and lunch and a day of fun. 
 
 But by midafternoon, the joy came to a horrible end when the 10-year-old son of a Kansas state representative from Olathe died on the Verrückt, at 17 stories the tallest water slide in the world. 
 
 Caleb Thomas Schwab, a freckled baseball and soccer enthusiast, was the son of Rep. Scott Schwab and his wife, Michele. Hours after the fun and laughter, the Schwabs were being comforted at their home with hugs and kisses from friends and colleagues. One of them was state Sen. Greg Smith, who lost his own daughter, Kelsey, to a murderer in 2007. 
 
 Expressions of grief and condolences over Caleb’s death poured in. The Schwabs issued a statement thanking everyone for their compassion. 
 
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 “Since the day he was born, he brought abundant joy to our family and all those who he came into contact with,” the statement said. “As we try to mend our home with him no longer with us, we are comforted knowing he believed in his Savior, Jesus, and they are forever together now. We will see him another day.” 
 
 Schlitterbahn shut down after the accident and will remain closed Monday. The slide will stay closed indefinitely. State law requires a qualified inspector’s approval before resumption of an amusement ride after a serious injury. 
 
 A spokeswoman for Schlitterbahn offered no information Sunday afternoon about what happened. 
 
 “We are saddened to share that a young boy died on Verrückt this afternoon,” said Winter Prosapio, corporate director of communications for Schlitterbahn. “Given that safety is our first priority, we have closed our Kansas City park and have closed the ride pending a full investigation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.” 
 
 Prosapio could not say whether the boy fell from the slide or was even aboard a raft when fatally injured. 
 
 “We honestly don’t know what’s happened,” Prosapio said. “That’s why a full investigation is necessary. We have to understand what’s happened. The Fire Department, of course, is here. (An) outside, inside investigation will be underway, and it will be a complete one. …To be honest, this is not something we’ve experienced.” 
 
 Off-duty Kansas City, Kan., police officers working security at the park called in the incident at 2:34 p.m. The police are working with the park on the investigation. Police Chief Terry Zeigler said police are working it as an accident. 
 
 “Our deepest condolences go to the family, very sad situation,” Zeigler said in an email. 
 
 Unified Government Mayor Mark Holland also issued a statement extending his thoughts and prayers to the family. 
 
 Scott Schwab, a Republican, was first elected to the Kansas House in 2003. 
 
 “The primary reason for my desire to serve in the Kansas House is to help create an economic environment for kids like mine to have a future here in Kansas,” Schwab said while running for re-election in 2014. 
 
 Pat Pettey, a state senator whose district covers the park, attended the elected officials day event with her daughter and 17-year-old grandson. Those two rode the Verrückt with a friend at about 10 or 10:30 a.m. 
 
 “They didn’t experience any difficulties. My daughter just said she was at the front,” said Pettey, who rode the Verrückt the year it opened and didn’t have qualms about her loved ones riding it. 
 
 Pettey left before the accident occurred, but her daughter still was there. Her daughter heard an unusual noise and left the park quickly after learning what had happened. She declined to talk about it. 
 
 “She’s pretty upset that this could have happened,” Pettey said. 
 
 Pettey said she was confident that the police and fire departments and Schlitterbahn would do a thorough investigation. 
 
 “I would hope that all safety formality had been followed and that sadly this is an unforeseeable accident,” she said. “Human error occurs. If that is the case, I’m sure it will be determined in the investigation.” 
 
 Pettey noted that the ride has been popular. 
 
 “I’m sure thousands of people have ridden it this summer alone,” Pettey said. “It’s just a terrible, terrible thing that’s happened. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be at any kind of park and have something like that happen.” 
 
 People packed the Schwab home in Olathe on Sunday night. 
 
 Erin Davis, another state representative from Olathe, was among them. 
 
 “It’s just a tragedy, and our hearts are all broken for the family,” she said. 
 
 Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins tweeted, “My thoughts and prayers are with Rep. Scott Schwab and his family at this devastating time.” 
 
 Speaker of the House Ray Merrick of Stilwell on Sunday night asked for prayers and comfort for the family of his House colleague. 
 
 “Representative Schwab is a long-serving legislator whose family is the center of his world,” Merrick said. 
 
 In an interview, Merrick said the death was a tragic accident, a freak accident. His grandson played soccer with Caleb Schwab, he said. 
 
 “He was a real good little athlete,” Merrick said. “An all-around good kid.” 
 
 Clint Sprague, lead pastor of LifeMission Church, has known Caleb’s parents since they were in college. 
 
 “They are an amazing, resilient family, full of faith,” he said. “They are just grieving their loss right now.” 
 
 Funeral arrangements had not been made Sunday. 
 
 Verrückt opened in July 2014. Its German name means “insane.” 
 
 Riders on the Verrückt are supposed to be at least 54 inches tall. Riders sit in a three-person raft and are secured with straps across the waist and shoulders, like a seat belt. The combined weight of riders per raft must be between 400 and 550 pounds. Riders are weighed at the bottom of the tower and again at the top. 
 
 There are 264 steps to the top and call boxes for emergencies. 
 
 The chute drops 168 feet, 7 inches, and the raft hits speeds of 60 to 70 mph. After the initial drop, the raft climbs a five-story hill before continuing to a stop. 
 
 The list of rules for riders includes admonitions to remain seated and to hold onto the raft handles at all times. 
 
 Prosapio said all rides at Schlitterbahn are inspected by employees every day and are inspected by an outside party prior to the start of the season. 
 
 The initial opening of the Verrückt was delayed several times as the development team made adjustments. Mayor Holland attended the grand opening. 
 
 Also at the opening was Jeff Henry, a co-owner of Schlitterbahn and a designer of the Verrückt. 
 
 The ride is covered in netting because the sides of the chute are low so the riders can see out. 
 
 “It’s nice to always know that nobody’s ever going to come out of the ride,” Henry said on opening day. 
 
 Henry told USA Today at the time of the opening that the slide was dangerous, “but it’s a safe dangerous now. Schlitterbahn is a family water park, but this isn’t a family ride. It’s for the thrill seekers of the world, people into extreme adventure.” ||||| CLOSE Authorities are still investigating how the boy died on the the 17-story 'Verruckt' water slide at Schlitterbahn Water Park. USA TODAY NETWORK 
 
 Riders go down the world's tallest water slide called "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark July 9, 2014, in Kansas City, Kan. (Photo: Charlie Riedel, AP) 
 
 Police in suburban Kansas City were trying to figure out how a 10-year-old boy could have died on a "safe dangerous" 17-story amusement park waterslide that is billed as the world’s tallest. 
 
 A spokesperson for the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kan., said the boy died Sunday on the Verrückt. 
 
 The park was closed pending "a full investigation," spokesperson Pam Renteria said in a statement posted on the park's website. 
 
 In a statement, the boy's family identified him as Caleb Schwab. He was the son of Kansas Rep. Scott Schwab and his wife, Michele. 
 
 TheKansas City Star reported that park officials did not immediately say whether the boy fell from the ride. 
 
 “We honestly don’t know what’s happened,” said spokesperson Winter Prosapio, who added, “To be honest, this is not something we’ve experienced.” 
 
 The Star reported that riders on the Verrückt are supposed to be at least 54 inches tall and 14 years old. It was not immediately clear why a 10-year-old was on the slide. 
 
 Kansas City Police Chief Terry Zeigler said the death was being treated as an accident. 
 
 Verrückt, a German word for "insane" or "crazy," drops riders at 65 mph from a height of almost 169 feet, taller than both Niagara Falls and the Statue of Liberty. Riders sit in a three-person raft and are secured with straps across the waist and shoulders. Its marketing materials include the slogan "R U Insane?" 
 
 The ride opened in July 2014. 
 
 At the time of its opening, USA TODAY said the ride would "thrill or terrify" riders, who drop the equivalent of two football fields in 18 seconds. 
 
 CLOSE Guinness Book of World Records confirms that the Verruckt water slide in Kansas is in fact the tallest in the world. VPC 
 
 Schlitterbahn Waterparks & Resorts co-owner Jeff Henry, who created Verrückt with senior designer John Schooley, said he was among the first to ride the waterslide and said, "I'm still recovering mentally. It's like jumping off the Empire State Building. It's the scariest thing I've done." 
 
 Velcro seat belts lash riders to the raft, and netting encloses the chute to retain the raft in the unlikely event it goes flying, USA TODAY reported. During early testing, rafts did just that. 
 
 "We had many issues on the engineering side," said Henry, who owns 60 patents for innovations such as land-based water surfing and uphill water coasters. 
 
 After the Guinness Book of World Records certified Verrückt as the world's tallest water slide, Henry tore down half of it to make corrections, delaying the planned opening and costing an additional $1 million, USA TODAY reported. Testing was conducted after dark to avoid media helicopters that had been buzzing the park after hours. 
 
 Henry called the ride, "dangerous, but it's a safe dangerous now." He said Schlitterbahn "is a family water park, but this isn't a family ride. It's for the thrill seekers of the world, people into extreme adventure." 
 
 Just last week, USA TODAY named it one of the best waterpark rides in the nation. 
 
 The park will remain closed Monday, a spokesperson said. 
 
 Follow Greg Toppo on Twitter: @gtoppo 
 
 CLOSE A first-hand look at the world's tallest waterslide called "verruckt," German for insane, at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas. (July 9) AP 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2aSHvIE ||||| Verrückt is closed at this time. Verrückt is the tallest water slide in the world and dominates the skyline at our Kansas City Schlitterbahn. Adventure seekers will be able to share this experience as they strap into a 3 person raft that will slide down a jaw dropping 168 foot 7 inch structure, only to be blasted back up a second massive hill and then sent down yet another gut wrenching 50 foot drop for the ultimate in water slide thrills! See the "Tips" below for IMPORTANT ride information. 
 
 Thrill Level: High Thrill 
 
 Ride Type: Raft Slide 
 
 Height Requirement: At least 54" tall 
 
 Attraction Rating: Red Diamond
– The world's tallest waterslide has been shut down indefinitely while authorities investigate the tragic death of a lawmaker's son. Caleb Thomas Schwab, 10, died Sunday afternoon on the "Verruckt" waterslide at the Schlitterbahn waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas. The boy, son of state Rep. Scott Schwab, was at the park for "Elected Officials Day," a day of fun the park held for lawmakers and their families, the Kansas City Star. Authorities haven't said whether the boy fell from the 168-foot slide, which opened in 2014. "We honestly don't know what’s happened," a park spokeswoman told reporters. "That’s why a full investigation is necessary. We have to understand what’s happened." State lawmakers say their prayers are with Schwab, a Republican from Olathe. "As we try and mend our home with him no longer with us, we are comforted knowing he believed in his savior, Jesus, and they are forever together now," Schwab said in a statement, per Reuters. "We will see him another day." The slide—which is taller than the Statue of Liberty—sends riders down secured with straps in three-person rafts. It is "safe dangerous" and designed to attract the "thrill-seekers of the world," co-creator and park co-owner Jeff Henry told USA Today after it first opened. According to the park's website, riders are required to be at least 54 inches tall. The park shut down after the boy's death and will remain closed Monday.