Four people were killed yesterday on a river rapids ride at Australia’s biggest theme park, police said, after a malfunction threw two of the victims off the seemingly innocuous ride and left the other two trapped inside.
The tragedy at the Thunder River Rapids Ride at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, the main tourist district in Australia’s northeastern state of Queensland, ranks among the world’s deadliest theme park accidents.
“One of the rides sustained a malfunction, causing two people to be ejected from a ride, and the other two were caught inside,” Queensland Ambulance official Gavin Fuller told reporters.
The four dead ranged in age from their early 30s to their early 40s. It was not immediately clear if they were locals or tourists, police said.
Shares in park owner and operator, Ardent Leisure Group , dropped 7 percent in the final hour of trade after the incident, having been little changed for most of the day.
“Dreamworld will remain closed tomorrow as a mark of respect for the victims and their families,” Ardent said in a statement, adding that it was working with emergency services to establish what had happened.
Asked if there were any earlier problems with the ride, Queensland Police inspector Todd Reid said: “I’m not aware, but that will be part of the investigation.”
The ride, meant to simulate going over river rapids, uses round floating devices that seat six, and can reach speeds of 45kph. It is described by Dreamworld as a “moderate thrill” attraction for those older than two.
Witnesses recounted the scene on television.
“There were kids onboard screaming while their mum was trapped under. I’d rather not talk about what I saw,” one unidentified man told Australia’s Channel 9.
Visitors to the theme park, 48km south of Brisbane, said they had seen repairs to the ride before the accident, but a Dreamworld spokeswoman told reporters she was unable to confirm that.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said there would be a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
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