Four killed on river ride at Australia's biggest theme park

 


{Simply by|By simply} Colin Packham and Jonathan Barrett | SYDNEY
{4|Several} people were killed on Tuesday on {a water|a lake|a riv} rapids ride at Australia's biggest amusement park, {law enforcement|authorities|law enforcement officials} said, after {a breakdown|a failure|a crash} threw two of the victims off the {trip|drive} and left the other two trapped inside.

{Press|Mass media|Multimedia} broadcast images of {crowds of people|throngs|locations} of rescue {staff|personnel} at the Thunder River Rapids Ride at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, {the key} tourist district in Australia's northeastern state of Queensland.

"One of the {trips|tours|voyages} sustained a malfunction, {creating|triggering} two people to be ejected from {a trip|a drive}, and the other two were caught inside the ride, " Gavin {More voluminous|Satiety}, an official of Queensland Ambulance, told reporters.

The four dead ranged in age from their early on 30s to their early on 40s. {It had been|It absolutely was} not immediately clear if they were locals or tourists, {law enforcement|authorities|law enforcement officials} said.

Shares in {recreation area|playground|area} owner and operator, {Hardcore|Die hard|Living} Leisure Group, dropped {several|six} percent in {the last|the ultimate|a final} hour of trade {following the|following your} {event|occurrence|episode}, having spent {almost all of} the day little changed.

Trick said in {a declaration|an assertion|an affirmation} it was "working as quickly as possible {to determine|to ascertain} the facts around the incident".

It added, "Dreamworld's focus and priority is with the groups of those involved in this tragedy and will be providing an update to the public as soon as information receives. {inch|inches|very well}

Asked if {there have been|there was|there are} any earlier problems with the ride, Todd Reid, an inspector with Queensland {Law enforcement|Authorities|Law enforcement officials}, said, "I'm not aware, but that will be part of the {analysis|exploration|research}.

"We are now working together with the {recreation area|playground|area} to try to determine how this tragic {event|occurrence|episode} occurred. "
Tuesday's {disaster|misfortune|great loss} ranks among the {planet's|uk's} deadliest theme park {incidents|mishaps|injuries}.

Earlier incidents include {8|8-10|ten} teenagers killed in a 1984 fire at the Six Flags Great {Experience|Excitement|Excursion} amusement park in Fresh Jersey {in the usa|in america|in the us}; six people killed with a failed simulated rocket launch in Shenzhen, China, {this year|this season|completely} and five children killed when the Battersea Park Big Dipper malfunctioned in {The uk|Great britain|The united kingdom} in 1972.