Photo shows a group of children doing exercise in a fitness summer camp to lose weight on 21 July, 2011. [Photo: Xinhua]

A 17-year-old girl has died in a fitness summer camp in Liaoyang city, northeast China's Liaoning province. The camp ran a controversial weight-loss program.

A local court has ordered the organizer to pay a total of 484,000 yuan or about 75,700 US dollars as compensation to the victim's parents.

The compensation is broken down as follows: 409,000 yuan for the girl's death and 40,000 yuan as compensation for the parent's emotional distress.

The girl surnamed Zhang had just finished her college entrance exam and was waiting to enter university.

She had registered at a fitness club last month to lose weight.

A coach at the fitness club says that in order to guarantee a good result in the weight loss program the summer camp asks all participants to go through a residential program and parents are only allowed to visit once a week.

The girl suddenly collapsed after a swimming session and then died after being admitted to hospital.

The girl's parents questioned the intensity of training given to teenagers and the effectiveness of the emergency rescue mechanism at the club.

The local court found that the staff at the fitness club had no coaching certificates.

But the court has also said the girl's parents were partially responsible as they failed to provide adequate guidance and supervision for the teenager.

The girl's mother says they have lost their only child. She says the tragedy should raise an alarm for parents to increase supervision over the activities of their children.